Meliá will reopen its Puerto Banús hotel, now a 5-star, on July 1st.

The hotel chain Meliá will reopen on July 1st its Puerto Banús hotel under the brand ME Marbella, after undergoing a comprehensive renovation of the hotel plant with an investment of over 20 million euros, turning it into a five-star luxury hotel offering 200 rooms, as highlighted by its director, Luis Domínguez.

Thus, the renovation work will transform the old Meliá Banús hotel into a 5-star facility equipped with energy efficiency systems, water saving, accessibility, and modernized facilities, with the execution work 80% complete after starting last November. Only "the final details of decoration and interior design" are pending, he added.

Meliá's commitment to the Marbella destination is reflected in an investment of over 20 million euros to renovate the hotel plant, which dates back to the 1980s. "The structure of the building has been maintained and the facilities have been modernized," Domínguez explained.

Regarding the interior, which "previously was very segmented with many walls and different levels," he highlighted that "it has been brought to the same ground level to be fully accessible," and it has been provided with greater brightness.

He also detailed that the renovation has served to "adapt certain volumes, such as some pergolas that were out of regulation," "everything that did not comply or was not very clear has been adjusted and we have redistributed the structure of the hotel keeping those 2 main buildings." Thus, he emphasized that "small roofs or annex buildings have been placed according to the regulations."

New facilities and services

According to the director of the 5-star hotel, the hotel will feature "200 rooms very spacious at 35 square meters for a standard room, with a very bold design," of which "24 will be large suites," while the sixth floor has 2 rooms that can be joined together totaling more than 1000 square meters and a private pool. Prices range from 500 euros to 6,000 for this last option.

The luxury offer will be complemented with a new pool, a SPA with 5 cabins, a fully equipped gym, and a 200 square meter room with a terrace for events, as group tourism plays a significant role during the lower visitor seasons, he noted.

The upgrade in category brings new services, and the renovated hotel will also feature "an artificial beach inside" as a beach club with an Asian fusion culinary offering. The culinary offer will be complemented by 2 Mediterranean cuisine restaurants and a "casual pool menu" beach bar, which will be open to "external clients" of the hotel.

The increase in services also entails an increase in staff, which will go from 120 or 140 employees to 250 in the peak seasons, so the hotelier mentioned that “we keep a large part of the staff," showing his “pride in generating local employment.”

As the main challenge in this new phase, the director sets to “meet the expectations” of the client facing “a strong investment, creation of employment, price increase, and upgrading from 4 to 5 stars.”

New concept of luxury

The rebranding to ME brings a new concept of luxury, more associated with “design and experiences” at the establishment, so the 5-star will also offer a program of cultural activities with “music, gastronomy, art, or wellness,” with the aim that “something is always happening at the hotel.”

“It is a great pride to achieve the 5-star status, the overall strategy of the company involves a repositioning of key assets to the luxury segment. In Marbella, we certainly could not fall behind, and more than 20% of the portfolio is focused on becoming luxury hotels and a destination like Marbella is spearheading this,” he pointed out.

The reopening of the Puerto Banús hotel plant will reinforce the positioning of the destination in the luxury segment: “We understand that investment in hotels is not only to generate business enrichment, but we want the hotel to add value to the city, a 5-star product is always welcome,” he emphasized.

The 5-star hotel already has bookings in the weeks prior to its opening that exceed 50% occupancy, a rate expected to surpass 80% during July and August, with a “very loyal clientele” although the new brand “is associated with a change” linked to purchasing power. The markets primarily come from Spain and the United Kingdom, but also from emerging countries like the USA and the Middle East, attracted by the new concept of luxury proposed by the ME brand. Additionally, it has been noted that “stays are longer and not just for weekends,” he remarked.