Meliá Hotels International announced during the recent Arab Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai that it has signed three new hotels expected to open in 2017 and 2018 in Africa, the Indian Ocean, and Central Asia.
The Gran Meliá Maldives resort will be located in Kalhudiyafushi in Thaa, an atoll in the Indian Ocean. The 100-guestroom resort will include 95 private villas and three onsite restaurants, as well as a bar and café. Catering to divers, fishers, and honeymooners, the resort is slated for an October 2017 opening.
The Meliá Serengeti Lodge will debut in Tanzania in June 2017 as the brand’s first sustainable hotel. Located less than a mile below the peak of Nyamuma and offering views over the valley of the Mbalageti River, the hotel is designed to operate off the grid and will only rely on fossil fuels in emergencies. Photovoltaic panels will generate energy stored by accumulators, a biogas generation system will connect to a wastewater treatment plant, and high-tech equipment will collect rainwater and make it drinkable for guests. Materials, such as concrete with local pigments and wood flooring laid over tiles, have been chosen based on their low carbon footprint.
Fifty guestrooms will comprise 25 Meliá Forest and 23 Meliá Hills options, along with two Serengeti Suites. The property’s lounges and restaurants will overlook three natural terraces surrounding an infinity pool and barbecue patios, affording guests views of the annual migration of one million blue wildebeest and thousands of lions, leopards, and zebras seeking out cooler pastures.
The 250-guestroom Meliá Almaty will open in Kazakhstan in 2018. The brand’s first property in the country will be situated amongst the Tien Shan, Altay, and Ulytau mountains, taking advantage of the winter sports available in the area. The striking steel-and-glass structure will house a restaurant, bar, lounge, spa, fitness center, and meeting space, while the guestroom count includes 50 suites and junior suites.
