Company insight Expanding ambition
Meliá Hotels International is embarking on an ambitious expansion plan, aiming to enhance its global footprint with a strong focus on vacation and bleisure travel. With strategic growth in key markets across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, the company is set to redefi ne luxury and premium hospitality while leveraging asset-light models. We speak with Meliá’s global development VP, María Zarraluqui, to uncover the details behind this bold strategy.
Meliá Hotels International is set for significant expansion in the coming years. What can we expect from the group?
María Zarraluqui: For the next three years, as part of our Strategic Plan 25–27, we aim to sign more than 8,000 new rooms annually, translating to approximately 30–40 new hotels each year. This, together with our exisiting Pipeline, will allow us to surpass the milestone of 100,000 operational rooms within this period. Our expansion will primarily focus on the vacation and bleisure segments, leveraging asset-light models (management or franchise) in the premium and luxury categories, working closely with preferred partners.
Which regions will see the most growth?
Our expansion is concentrated in key vacation destinations, particularly in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Middle East and South East Asia. We also see strong potential in central and southern European cities, where Meliá has an established bleisure presence.
In the Americas, we will strengthen our footprint in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Brazil. In Europe, we will continue expanding in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Albania while reinforcing our presence in strategic markets like Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Croatia and Montenegro. Urban growth will also be a priority in key cities such as London, Berlin, Budapest and Dublin. In Africa, our focus remains selective, seeking exclusive opportunities like those in Tanzania (Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Arusha) and potential expansion in Mauritius and north Africa. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is a strategic priority, along with opportunities in the UAE, Oman and Bahrain. In Asia, we will expand in
Hotel Management International /
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María Zarraluqui, global development VP, Meliá Hotels
Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and China, while exploring new markets like the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
What new markets do you have on your radar? We are eyeing expansion in additional Caribbean islands, Turkey, Mauritius, the Maldives, Saudi Arabia and other Middle
How has Meliá adapted its offerings to meet the evolving demands of luxury travellers? Our intensified focus on luxury has led to a strategic repositioning of our brands and hotels to align with the expectations of modern luxury travellers. Currently, one in three of our pipeline hotels belongs to this segment, and we will maintain this trajectory. By upgrading our properties and refining our services, we have achieved remarkable improvements in both rates and revenues.
Zel has been a well-received brand with recent expansions. What is the vision for its future growth?
“Repositioning is a key driver of our strategy, helping us enhance brand differentiation, improve profi tability and elevate guest satisfaction.”
Eastern markets. The brands we introduce will be tailored to each region: Gran Meliá and The Meliá Collection for luxury-focused destinations like the Maldives and Mauritius, while Turkey offers opportunities across our entire portfolio. In Saudi Arabia, premium and luxury brands will lead, complemented by our Sol brand in select tourist areas.
Meliá is well-known for its successful hotel rebrandings. What role do they play in your strategy? Repositioning is a key driver of our strategy, helping us enhance brand differentiation, improve profitability and elevate guest satisfaction. Our past success in transforming destinations like Magaluf (Mallorca) and Torremolinos (Málaga) showcases the positive economic and social impact of these projects. Looking ahead, we have exciting repositionings such as Paradisus Bali, Paradisus Fuerteventura, Zel Madrid and ME Marbella.
Zel is among our best-performing brands, and we plan to continue growing it in high- demand vacation destinations across the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Middle East and South East Asia, as well as in select urban centres with strong bleisure potential, such as Madrid. Additionally, we will reposition some existing properties under this thriving brand.
What is your overarching goal for 2025? We are confident that 2025 will be a year of strategic growth for Meliá Hotels International, strengthening our presence in key destinations with a focus on sustainability, innovation and personalisation to deliver unique and unforgettable guest experiences. We aim for sustainable and profitable growth with the help of our partners. ●
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