The iconic Meliá Fuerteventura hotel, located on the seafront of Sotavento Beach in the Jandía Natural Park and home to the famed René Egli by Meliá surf school, will this year join the catalogue of hotels managed by Meliá that the Group has repositioned to adapt them to the demanding criteria of quality and sustainability demanded today by customers and the communities of tourist destinations.
The repositioning of the Meliá Fuerteventura is one of the hotels included in the alliance signed in 2023 by Meliá Hotels International and Banca March to develop joint projects in the hotel sector, in which the bank's clients participate through a co-investment modality. The upgrading of the hotel, with an estimated investment of over 16 million euros in works and installations alone (to which furniture and other equipment must be added) will be completed by mid-2025, and its main objectives will be to raise the hotel's category, completely renovate its facilities to maximise its energy efficiency and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, and redouble its commitment to the local community, creating more and better jobs, increasing purchases from local suppliers and promoting knowledge of the destination, as well as helping to preserve the island's ecosystem and biodiversity.
In this way, and in line with the actions developed by Meliá in destinations such as Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, among others, the repositioning of the Meliá Fuerteventura as a Premium or luxury product will allow 'quantity for quality' to be replaced, targeting customer segments with greater added value and greater social and economic profitability for the destination. On the other hand, aware of the environmental sensitivity on an island declared a Biosphere Reserve for its unique natural values, the actions will prioritise the prevention and mitigation of the effects of climate change, applying sustainable construction manuals and installing photovoltaic panels and state-of-the-art lighting, air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.
The property is reaffirming its commitment to the local community by increasing its purchases from local suppliers of goods and services, which in 2023 amounted to almost 600 and recorded a turnover of 45 million euros, figures that will undoubtedly increase after the refurbishment. Moreover, as in other refurbishments and renovations carried out in the Canary Islands, such as those of Paradisus Gran Canaria and Paradisus Lanzarote, the construction will be carried out with the participation of local companies and will thus have a direct impact on the local economy and employment, with an estimated 150 direct jobs for the refurbishment process alone. The joint venture estimates that, following the refurbishment, the repositioned hotel will offer around 100 new jobs due to the improved product and service standard associated with the brand, as well as the new facilities, and also plans to triple the number of rooms to accommodate workers.
For Gabriel Escarrer, Chairman and CEO of Meliá Hotels International, 'the commitment of our company and our partner Banca March to sustainable and quality tourism is exemplified in the transformation and repositioning project of the Meliá Fuerteventura, a destination hotel par excellence that is committed to environmental, economic and social sustainability to generate a positive impact on the environment, our employees and the local community'.
For José Luis Acea, CEO of Banca March, 'as an entity linked for decades with the tourism and hotel sector, this project is aligned with our commitment to a sustainable economic model and with a proposal of specialisation with family businesses, objectives that we share with our customers through our commitment to co-investment with a benchmark partner such as Meliá'.
