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Hola! Meliá to open first Spanish hotel in Gulf

Premier Spanish hotels and resorts company Sol Meliá to open five-star 'urban resort' in Dubai with AED200 million Khamas Group investment - plans for Qatar, KSA & Jordan

One of the largest hotels and resorts companies in the world, Sol Meliá has announced that it is to open its first regional hotel in Dubai. The Meliá Dubai, a five-star 164 bedroom 'urban resort' will open on 12^th October 2011, to coincide with national day in Spain.

"This is our first property in the Arabian Gulf and the first step to realising our expansion plans for the region. We are currently negotiating with potential partners in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan and we hope to make further announcements in the near future," commented Andre Gerondeau, Executive VP, Hotels Division at Sol Meliá Hotels and Resorts.

The number of visitors to Dubai from Spain has been increasing steadily. Emirates opened their first daily flight to Madrid last summer and combined with Iberia's existing four weekly flights to Dubai, should improve on the 30,000 plus visitors Dubai received from Spain in 2010.

In addition Emirates fly daily to Sao Paulo, with new routes planned to Rio de Janiero and Buenos Aires, all destinations where Meliá has strong brand awareness. According to Daniel Lozano, Senior Vice President, the Meliá brand, opening in the Gulf was a strategic step.

"We chose Dubai because this is the commercial hub for the region and we felt our brand attributes would suit such a cosmopolitan market. We believe that our traditional Spanish hospitality can offer a new dimension to customers in the region, while still appealing to Arab guests," he said.

There are great cultural links between Spain and the Gulf region. The Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula in 711AD and settled for around 800 years. Their influence still remains to this day, most notably in Granada at the Alhambra.

"Our brand strength in Germany, UK, Italy and elsewhere in Europe, will give us a competitive edge, when we begin our marketing campaigns in these regions, for inbound business to Dubai. We can also use that leverage to secure outbound business as well," added Lozano.

Sol Meliá has a total of eight brands each covering a range of market segments and Gran Meliá a luxury brand and ME by Meliá a lifestyle brand are the two brands they feel will appeal most to regional investors and potential guests.

The AED200 million Meliá Dubai will feature 5 restaurants a superb la carte fine dining restaurant, signature Indian restaurant Khazana by celebrity Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, 'The Level' a Meliá branded executive floor, a full service YHI SPA as well as a rooftop and swimming pool, which will feature a Spanish Tapas bar.

"Our target guest mix is 50-50 business and leisure, targeting GCC nationals, Indians, Germans, British, Spanish, Greeks, French and Brazilians. Opening rates will start at AED650 which represents excellent value for money, given the quality of the product and that unmistakable touch of Spanish hospitality," said Gilles Longuet, General Manager, Meliá Dubai.

-Ends-

About Sol Meliá:
Sol Meliá was founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and is one of the world's largest resort hotel chains, as well as Spain's leading hotel chain. It currently provides more than 300 hotels and 78,000 rooms in 27 countries on 4 continents under its brands: Gran Meliá, Meliá, ME by Meliá, Innside by Meliá, Tryp by Wyndham, Sol and Paradisus. Its product and service portfolio is completed by Sol Meliá Vacation Club, the only Vacation Club operated by a Spanish company.

Sol Meliá is the most widely recognised hotel company in Spain and its brands achieve average satisfaction levels of 80%. The company's mas rewards loyalty programme has 2.3 million members, the largest in Spain. Solmelia.com is the leading hotel website in Spain with over 2.2 million subscribers and an innovative market leader, most recently in hotel bookings via mobile web.

Sol Meliá is also a pioneer and leader in Sustainability and Community Involvement in the travel industry, a major foundation of corporate strategy and catalyst for certification as a "Biosphere Hotel Company", supported by UNESCO. Sol Meliá is also the only travel company included in the exclusive "FTSE4GoodIbex" Spanish stock market index and is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact. In 2009 the company was awarded the Prince Felipe Award for Tourism Excellence for the second time.

Sol Meliá, which was founded by Gabriel Escarrer Juliá in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), is the world's leading hotel chain for holidays, as well as being the overall market leader in Spain, both in the leisure and the business sectors. It is the third largest chain in Europe, the twelfth largest in the world and is the global leader for holidays and in Latin America and the Caribbean. Currently there are more than 300 hotels in 30 countries on 4 continents and the company has a workforce in excess of 35,000 employees.

Commercial brands used to offer their product include Gran Meliá, Meliá Hotels & Resorts, ME by Meliá, Innside, TRYP Hotels, Sol Hotels, Paradisus Resorts and Sol Meliá Vacation Club. Each of these brands has been created to satisfy demanding customers who appreciate the hotels' strategic location and their quality services, as much as the personal service that

enables them to have a great experience throughout the whole of their stay. Sol Meliá has taken into account the different stages in their customers' lives, their changing tastes and requirements, and offers appropriate products designed for each of them.

Our hotels ensure that the customer has a unique and unforgettable experience. The emphasis placed on Guest Experience creates emotions centred on each of the brands, anticipating the customer's needs and expectations. With sensual architecture, the lighting, smells, music in communal areas etc., each brand offers something concrete generated ad hoc, with service to match.

Photo-caption: From left to right: Andre Gerondeau, Executive Vice President, Hotel Division, Sol Melia Hotels & Resorts; Susanna Mander, Vice President of Marketing, Melia Brand; Gilles Longuet, General Manager, Melia Dubai.

For more information, please contact:
Nathalie Viselé
Director
Shamal Marketing Communications
PO Box 502701
Office 106, Al Sufouh Tower
Dubai Media City
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Office: +971 4 3652711
Direct : +971 4 3652712
Mobile : +971 50 4576525
Fax:+971 4 4278703
E-mail: nathalie@smc-pr.com
Web site: www.smc-pr.com

© Press Release 2011