Meliá Hotels International is looking to expand its presence in Albania, adding seven hotels and 1,600 rooms, making it the leading international hotel operator in the destination.
The Spanish company wants to ensure its presence in the most important destinations in Albania and opens the door to a new expansion, which would make the country one of Meliá's strongholds in the Balkans and would consolidate its leadership in the Mediterranean.
Among its projects is the future Gran Meliá Tirana, a 5-star hotel with 125 rooms that will open in 2025 as part of an emblematic architectural project in the heart of the city. In Dürres, Albania's second largest city and the country's most visited beach, Meliá will open two hotels in 2023, the Meliá Dürres and the Sol Tropikal Dürres.
The first will be a five-star resort on the beach of Gjiri I Lalzit, with 455 rooms and 10 villas, as well as a wide range of complementary services. The second, 8 kilometres from the city centre, will be the result of the redesign of the existing Tropikal Resort, to which two new buildings will be added, forming a complex with a total of 383 rooms, of which 180 will be available in 2023 and the rest will be added gradually.
On the Albanian Riviera, Meliá announced in 2021 the Altea Meliá Collection Hotel in Palasa Beach, a luxury hotel with 142 rooms and suites, including several villas.
Alongside these projects, Meliá has just announced the signing of three more franchised hotels, bringing the total to seven hotels and almost 1,600 rooms. The new signings include a Sol by Meliá holiday brand hotel in Golem, a coastal town very close to the capital, Tirana, which is currently one of the country's top holiday destinations.
The Sol Fafa Golem Hotel will be a large, state-of-the-art resort with 460 rooms. Designed for families, it will offer a wide range of services, including several restaurants and bars, swimming pools and children's areas.
The second of the new projects signed is the forthcoming Eliza Hotel Affiliated by Meliá, a modern 46-room property in Tirana, which is currently under construction and could open by the end of the year, making it the company's first opening in Albania.
The latest hotel signed is the 120-room Tomorri Affiliated by Meliá. Located in Berat, in south-central Albania, the city has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. The hotel is part of a complex, which also includes a new casino, and is due to open in 2024.
Having seen first-hand the great potential of this country, as well as the commitment of its public and private sectors to open the doors of international tourism, I am convinced that we will start a new success story in the Mediterranean and I am very grateful for the trust that our partners in the country have placed in our company to make this dream possible.
Gabriel Escarrer, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Meliá Hotels International
Spain
