This is how the Guadalmina hotel will be reborn in the summer of 2027 by the hand of Blackstone

José Carlos García

Marbella

The Guadalmina hotel, opened in the late 1950s when this area of San Pedro Alcántara was nothing more than a wild wasteland nearly 15 kilometers from the urban center of Marbella, will reopen its doors in the summer of 2027. This is the forecast managed by Hotel Investments Partners (HIP), the owning company of this establishment, controlled by the American The Blackstone Group, the world's largest alternative asset manager, and GIC, the sovereign fund of Singapore.

The iconic hotel, a pioneer in golf tourism, ended up in the hands of The Blackstone Group after the New York firm acquired the REIT Hispania Activos Inmobiliarios, participated by the popular Hungarian-American magnate George Soros, who bought the establishment for 21.5 million euros in 2014 from the company Aspen Playas, linked to the now deceased businessman Leo Shriqui. When the time comes for the grand unveiling of the project, currently undergoing years of renovation, almost everything will be different: name, operator, number of rooms, and target segment will change, according to the operation designed by HIP, one of Europe's largest hotel owners.

The hotel closed its doors as the four-star Guadalmina Spa & Golf Resort and when it reopens, it will be upgraded to a five-star luxury category and under a name that aims to retain the Guadalmina name and use Marbella as an emblem. This will also depend on the operator under which the rebirth of the establishment occurs. Sources from HIP claim that it is not yet finalized, although at least one of the possibilities being considered is that it will be done in collaboration with Marriott and its The Luxury Collection brand. HIP owns hotels in Spain and other countries in southern Europe with various operators, from Ritz-Carlton and Hilton to Meliá and Barceló, among others, but what seems certain is that the iconic establishment will arrive with a luxury hotel brand.

The new Guadalmina will arrive alongside a luxury hotel chain, and the total investment will rise to at least 60 million euros.

And not only that, Hotel Investments Partners wants to open the establishment to new segments such as MICE (acronym for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) and wants the venue to feature restaurants from top hospitality brands with presence in major world capitals, aware that this is the league in which Marbella now operates.

Up to 229 rooms

The reopening date will be a result of the progress of the renovation works that have been underway for years, although initially the company estimates that they could be completed between July and September of next year. The total investment of the operation was initially estimated at 55 million euros, but HIP assures that the figure will exceed that amount. This amount was set in 2023 when the City Council approved a first amendment to the project approved in 2020, which went from an investment of 19.14 to 31.4 million euros just in construction. On the 21st, the City Council approved a second amendment, this time worth 4.81 million euros, so the expenditure will not drop below 60 million euros in any case.

Guadalmina will increase from 179 to 229 rooms, offering a complete range of options: double, triple, quadruple rooms, suites, and junior suites, to which will be added three villa buildings located in the northern area of the complex. Additionally, the spa will be improved, a second pool will be added, and new parking spaces will be created. In total, the expansion of the built space will add more than 1,200 additional square meters, which, combined with the upgrade in category and new services, will raise the number of direct jobs to 250.

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