Meliá Hotels International continues to prepare its operations in Albania, Europe's last undiscovered holiday destination. The hotel company trusts in the tourism potential of the area and is fully committed to leading the development of the hotel industry, as it has already done in other pioneering destinations in the Mediterranean.
As Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Meliá Hotels International, explains, “After seeing first-hand the enormous potential of the country and the commitment of its public and private sectors to international tourism, I am convinced that together we will build a new success story in the Mediterranean, and I am extremely grateful for the trust our partners have placed in our company to make this dream come true".
The Spanish company is looking to consolidate its presence in the most important destinations in the country. The agreements also open the door to future growth opportunities which would make Albania one of its strongholds in the Balkans and consolidate its leadership in the Mediterranean.
Its current pipeline includes the future Gran Meliá Tirana, a 5-star luxury hotel with 125 rooms due to open in 2025 as part of an iconic architectural project in the heart of the city. Gran Meliá Tirana will be the flagship hotel which will help consolidate the company's brand recognition in Albania.
In Dürres, the second largest city in Albania and with the most popular beach in the country, the company will open two hotels in 2023, the Meliá Dürres and Sol Tropikal Dürres. The first will be a spectacular five-star resort on Gjiri I Lalzit beach with 455 rooms and 10 villas, in addition to an extensive range of facilities and services. Together with the property of the Meliá Dürres, Concord Investment Group, Meliá Hotels International hopes to mark with this hotel a before and after in the hotel offer in the area, offering the quality and attributes of Meliá Hotels & Resorts, one of its best-known brands.
The second, Sol Tropikal Dürres, is 8 kilometres from the city centre and will be the result of the renovation of the current Tropikal Resort, to which two new buildings will be added to create a modern holiday resort on the beach with a total of 383 rooms, of which 180 will be available in 2023 and the rest will be included progressively. The hotel, owned by FT Management & Events, also hopes to become one of the best vacation options in Dürres with all the attributes of the Sol by Meliá brand.
In the Albanian Riviera, Meliá announced in 2021 the Hotel Altea Meliá Collection, in Palasa Beach, a luxury hotel with 142 rooms and suites, including spectacular villas in front of the sea.
Meliá adds 1,600 rooms in Albania
Along with these projects, Meliá has just announced the signing of another three franchise hotels, making a total of 7 hotels and nearly 1,600 rooms.
The new agreement includes a Sol by Meliá hotel in Golem, a coastal city very near the capital Tirana, and currently one of the top holiday destinations in the country. The Sol Fafa Golem will be a large avant-garde beachfront resort with 460 rooms. Focused on family holidays, it will offer a wide variety of services, including several restaurants and bars, swimming pools and spaces for kids.
The second new hotel is the future Eliza Hotel Affiliated by Meliá, a modern 46-room hotel in Tirana, currently under construction and scheduled to open later this year and become the company's first opening in Albania.
The third hotel is the Hotel Tomorri Affiliated by Meliá with 120 rooms, located in Berat in south central Albania, a town that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. The hotel will form part of a complex which includes a new casino and which is expected to open in 2024.
Albania received 5.6 million international travellers in 2021. The 400 kilometres of coastline in the country are bathed by the Adriatic and Ionian Seas and combine with the mountainous geography of much of the country to form a wild natural environment that makes the country a hugely diverse destination. This natural beauty is complemented by a cultural legacy of immense historical value, in which first the Greeks and Romans, and later the Byzantines, Ottomans and other Balkan peoples have made their mark, shaping a mosaic of cultures that can be enjoyed in numerous archaeological sites and several World Heritage Sites.
