Spain’s first Waldorf Astoria moves forward in Marbella: €175 million investment, 120 rooms and a major golf resort

The future Waldorf Astoria Marbella has taken one of its first major administrative steps. Marbella Town Hall’s Local Government Board has approved the project’s admission for processing, as well as declaring the development to be of municipal interest.

The scheme, promoted by Higuerón Golf Resort, includes a five-star grand luxury hotel with 120 rooms, together with apartments ranging from one to four bedrooms and a range of facilities linked to the historic Marbella Golf course.

The investment currently associated with this stage of the project is €175 million. However, the municipal decision does not yet mean construction can begin: the development must still pass through further technical reports, public consultation and subsequent authorisations before a building licence can be considered.

A new luxury resort around Marbella Golf

The development forms part of a wider area of approximately 687,000 square metres, although the section directly affected by the current proposal covers around 89,000 square metres.

The plans include approximately 80,000 square metres of buildable space, with a low-rise, low-density design intended to integrate the new facilities into the golf-course setting.

Alongside the hotel, the project includes a clubhouse, restaurants, retail spaces and sports facilities, creating a destination that combines accommodation, golf, dining and wellness.

The wider aim is to transform the historic Marbella Golf site into Higuerón Marbella Golf Resort, adding another major luxury tourism development to the city.

120 rooms and branded residences

The Waldorf Astoria hotel will be the centrepiece of the project.

According to Hilton’s official announcement, the property is expected to include 120 rooms and suites, together with 120 Waldorf Astoria branded residences. Hilton currently expects the resort to open in 2029.

These residences will have access to services associated with the resort. However, the municipal documentation currently being processed stresses that the development does not include conventional residential use, maintaining a tourism and sports designation for the site.

This distinction is important: although the project includes apartments of different sizes, they are intended to form part of the tourism model of the resort rather than an independent residential development.

Spa, swimming pools, restaurants and a new country club

The future Waldorf Astoria Marbella is designed to offer much more than hotel accommodation.

Hilton has announced plans for a 750-square-metre spa, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a gym, wellness facilities and several food and drink concepts.

These are expected to include Peacock Alley, one of Waldorf Astoria’s signature concepts, as well as a main restaurant, lobby bar and poolside dining.

The project also includes the refurbishment of the country club and a major transformation of the golf course itself.

The original course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1994 and is expected to be reimagined by his son, Robert Trent Jones Jr., with a contemporary approach and a stronger focus on sustainability.

The project is still some way from construction

The decision taken by Marbella Town Hall represents progress, but it is not a building permit.

Admission for processing allows the proposal to continue through the administrative system and enables the relevant sector-specific reports to be requested.

These will include studies on issues such as mobility and landscape integration, examining both the impact on local roads and infrastructure and how the resort fits into its surroundings.

The project will then need to go through a public consultation period and further administrative stages. Only after those procedures are completed can the necessary authorisation for construction be considered.

The development is therefore moving forward, but it remains at the planning and approval stage.

€175 million or €220 million? Why two different figures have appeared

There is one point that may cause some confusion.

The latest information from Marbella Town Hall, corresponding to the project admitted for processing in September 2026, places the investment at €175 million.

However, when Higuerón Developments presented the wider project internationally in December 2025, it referred to a total investment of €220 million for Higuerón Marbella Golf Resort. Marbella Town Hall also used that figure when the project was first announced.

The two figures therefore refer to different stages or scopes of the development: €175 million is the figure attached to the current municipal process, while €220 million was previously announced for the broader resort project.

Spain’s first Waldorf Astoria

The arrival of the brand is particularly significant for the Costa del Sol’s luxury hotel sector.

Waldorf Astoria is part of Hilton’s luxury portfolio, and the Marbella property is set to become the brand’s first hotel in Spain.

The agreement between Hilton and Higuerón Developments was signed in New York on 5 November 2025, with both companies later announcing an expected opening in 2029.

The architectural concept also has an unusual element: Hilton has said that three Pritzker Prize-winning architects are involved in the conceptual design competition, although the final design has not yet been announced.

Another major luxury hotel investment in Marbella

The project adds to the ongoing transformation of Marbella and the western Costa del Sol’s high-end hotel market.

If it completes all the required planning stages, the historic Marbella Golf site will evolve into a major tourism destination combining hotel accommodation, golf, restaurants, wellness, sport and branded accommodation under an international luxury name.

For now, this week’s decision allows the project to keep moving forward. The next steps will involve technical reports, public consultation and the urban planning authorisations required before construction can begin.

The primary source for the latest development is Marbella Town Hall, which published the admission of the project for processing on 22 September 2026, including details on the investment, site and proposed facilities. The information is available in the official Marbella Town Hall announcement on Waldorf Astoria. For the hotel specifications and the expected 2029 opening, the primary source is also the official Hilton announcement on Waldorf Astoria Marbella.