Ranked among the biggest hotel groups in the world and with 58 properties in the pipeline, Meli? Hotels International is continuing to invest in its key markets, devoting itself to the ongoing regeneration of Magaluf, and embarking on an expansion into Asia.
Gabriel Escarrer (pictured) CEO and vice chairman of Meli? Hotels International, said: ?We're moving away from the perception of commodity; we?re not selling beds but selling experiences. This is something that we have continuously worked toward during these past 62 years. To keep you in one of my resorts worldwide, I need to innovate the whole time; I need to bring different concepts throughout your stay in terms of food, beverage, entertainment, spa, meeting facilities, and sports.
?ME London is our flagship situated between the Strand and Aldwych but 58% of the revenues at that hotel are generated by all the things that aren't the room?it?s a completely different proposition from what you can expect from a city hotel. Being the number one resort hotel company worldwide, 80% of our properties are resort but the remaining 20% are always located in main capital cities under the bleisure (business plus leisure) formula and our approach is what makes our brand so unique compared to others.?
A key stepping stone for the brand has been its digitalisation strategy. This includes merging its B2C (melia.com) and B2B (Melia Pro) rewards platforms; tasking administration procedures to robotics so hotel employees can dedicate more time with guests; and the enhancement of the customer experience such as a digital bracelet that replaces the wallet, ID and room key in resort.
A project close to Escarrer?s heart has been the ongoing transformation of Magaluf. Highlighting the need for strong investment into the area in 2012 and working in partnership with the Palmanova-Magaluf Hotel Association and Calvia Town Hall, Escarrer updated: ?It was something that needed to be given a second chance so we designed together with the local administration a business plan to be developed in the next three years; this is our seventh summer season and the results so far have been amazing and well above our feasibility study. We've been able to not only invest 248 million Euros to upgrade all our properties but to also open 28 different food and beverage outlets, 16 different shops, a beach club called Nikki Beach, a theme park called ?Katmandu? tailormade for families, and a concept called Wave House for teenagers. We are trying to differentiate as much as possible the offering for different customers and this is something I'm very proud of - to reposition an existing place like Magaluf was no easy task.?
With an average of one property opening every two weeks during the last two years this ratio will be one the hotel group is planning to maintain in the coming years along with a long-term objective to expand further into APAC, recently signing the Meli? Hoi An and Meli? Phu Quoc in Vietnam, and Meli? Phuket Karon in Thailand.
Escarrer concluded: ?What we are now has always been thanks to the travel agencies and the wholesalers, and this is something that I keep in mind. It's very important that we always work very closely with them and to anticipate their needs - that's the reason why we have developed Melia Pro and its tailor made for the trade.?
