Incosol: the pioneering health tourism hotel in Marbella regains its momentum

It was the first hotel to offer its guests healthcare services when it opened its doors in 1973 and, for years, it was the only medicalised hotel in southern Europe located in Marbella.

Its 200 rooms hosted celebrities from the world of royalty such as Diana, Princess of Wales, and Prince Rainier of Monaco; actresses Audrey Hepburn and Deborah Keer; and artists such as Michael Jackson and Salvador Dalí.

But this pioneering hotel in the health tourism sector, whose opening was attended by dictator Franco, ceased operations in 2012 and closed its doors for good in 2013, in an ending that had to be settled in court.

Now, a project led by the investment fund Ilanga Capital, headed by Pelayo Cortina Koplowitz, seeks to give it a new lease of life, also as a five-star hotel specialising in health and longevity services.

Ilanga Capital, which announced the acquisition of the hotel at the end of 2022, already has, through the company Global Zacala S.L., the municipal licence to renovate and expand the iconic facilities.

The first steps in the restoration of the hotel, located in the Río Real area and with no reopening date yet set, have begun with partial demolition and asbestos removal.

"We think the reopening of the hotel, as an iconic establishment on the Costa del Sol and in Marbella in particular, is very positive. It would join the other high-end, five-star establishments in the Marbella area,‘ says Javier Hernández, vice-president of the Costa del Sol Hoteliers' Association (Aehcos), who highlights ’the significant investment" that the project to reopen the hotel complex will entail.

‘It will strengthen the range of accommodation establishments in the province of Málaga,’ he adds.

The president of the Marbella Centre for Tourism Initiatives, Juan José González, recalls that Incosol was, during its years of service, ‘an iconic hotel in the city and a flagship for health tourism at the highest level’.

‘We will be closely monitoring the progress of the works and the reopening of such an iconic facility. At the CIT, we welcome with great satisfaction and joy the news of the building permit for the renovation and refurbishment of the hotel,’ he adds.

One of the largest investments

The project to reopen the hotel, which was unable to overcome the crisis that shook the world after 2008, will involve an investment of around €87.5 million, making it one of the largest investments in Marbella's hotel sector.

The hotel will have 168 rooms, 80 per cent of which will be used for medical treatments and specialised programmes.

The plot on which the hotel stands, covering some 47,500 square metres, will house a healthcare area of around 21,000 square metres; a hotel area of more than 6,000 square metres; and 34,000 square metres of open and landscaped areas with swimming pools and integrated green areas.