Meliá Hotels International and Grupo Puntacana join forces to develop Paradisus Miches + Meliá Hotels International celebrates its 70th anniversary at FITUR
- EDITOR
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This landmark project reinforces both companies’ shared commitment to high‑quality, sustainable tourism with a strong impact on destination development. Alongside Meliá Bergantín Beach, whose construction has already begun, Paradisus Miches adds to a portfolio of projects designed to drive the growth of emerging destinations such as Puerto Plata and Miches.
Meliá Hotels International, through a strategic alliance with Grupo Puntacana, has announced the signing of Paradisus Miches, an exclusive, newly built resort that will strengthen the company's presence in the Dominican Republic and support the positioning of Miches as one of the country's next major tourism destinations.
Paradisus Miches will become Meliá's eleventh hotel in the Dominican Republic, including properties currently in operation and under development, and will be the first in this high-potential area. The resort will occupy a privileged oceanfront location with more than 500 meters of untouched beachfront, seamlessly integrated into an environment of outstanding natural richness.
Conceived as a true retreat within the Caribbean landscape and developed alongside a long-standing strategic partner such as the Rainieri family, the project reinforces a shared commitment to responsible and sustainable tourism development that generates lasting value for the country. This vision aligns with recent initiatives such as the Meliá Bergantín Beach project in Puerto Plata and reflects the Dominican Republic's continued focus on public-private collaboration to unlock the tourism potential of its eastern coastline.
The resort will feature 600 rooms across a range of categories, enabling tailored experiences for both adults and families. Its culinary concept will include a diverse selection of dining venues and outdoor spaces designed to celebrate the destination and its culture. Paradisus Miches will also offer multiple swimming pools, wellness areas, a full-service spa, and dedicated facilities for meetings and events. The Paradisus experience—renowned for its deep connection with nature and its sensory approach—will serve as the conceptual foundation of the resort, which will also incorporate exclusive brand services to deliver a contemporary luxury experience.
Located on the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic, Miches is undergoing a significant transformation and is surrounded by some of the country's most distinctive natural landscapes. Lush mountains, white-sand beaches, and iconic sites such as Playa Esmeralda, Laguna Limón, Montaña Redonda, and Salto La Jalda make the area a destination of exceptional scenic and cultural value. Its proximity to Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ), just a 90-minute drive away, enhances accessibility and positions Miches as one of the destinations with the strongest tourism growth potential in the coming years.
Commenting on the announcement, Gabriel Escarrer, Chairman and CEO of Meliá Hotels International, stated: “Paradisus Miches embodies the tourism model we believe in: respectful, innovative, high-quality, and firmly committed to the development of destinations and local communities. We are proud to expand our presence in the Dominican Republic and to do so alongside an exemplary partner such as Grupo Puntacana, with whom we share a vision of sustainable growth for the country."
Frank Elías Rainieri, CEO of Grupo Puntacana, added: “The alliance between Meliá Hotels International and Grupo Puntacana for the development of Paradisus Miches responds to a strategic vision aimed at strengthening the Dominican Republic's tourism competitiveness. This project represents a high-impact investment that reinforces the country's position as a reliable destination for international capital, raises the standard of luxury hotel offerings, and contributes to the diversification and sustainability of national tourism developmen...- Hotel Management Global Outlook Link
Meliá Hotels International celebrates its 70th anniversary at FITUR, ushering in a new phase of solid and sustained growth
Escarrer attributes the success of the Group’s business model to a virtuous circle that combines the renewal and premiumization of its portfolio, a diversified brand architecture, strong proprietary distribution channels, and a robust expansion and partnership strategy, all underpinned by the powerful legacy of values, talent, and positioning built by the Company over decades.
The Company founded by Gabriel Escarrer Juliá is celebrating its 70th anniversary, marking the milestone at FITUR 2026 alongside the wider tourism industry. In its traditional press conference, Gabriel Escarrer presented the results for 2025, linking the Company's strong performance to the seven-decade legacy of its founder, Gabriel Escarrer Juliá, who passed away in 2024. A legacy rooted in vision and strategy, but also in values that continue to inspire Spain's leading multinational hotel group and form the foundations of its current strength—across business performance, people, and sustainability.
70 years of growth
2025 was a solid year in terms of results. As previously anticipated by Gabriel Escarrer, the Company has met market expectations on the financial front and exceeded expansion forecasts. During the year, the Group signed a total of 51 new hotels, representing nearly 9,200 rooms, 52% of which are already operating or will be incorporated into the portfolio within the next 12 months. As a result, Meliá is expected to operate at least 411 hotels by the end of 2026.
These 51 signings are concentrated in what Meliá refers to as its “leisure axis," which accounts for the bulk of the Group's global footprint. Sixty percent correspond to hotels located in the Mediterranean and Europe, both in countries where the Group already enjoys a strong presence—such as Spain, Italy, Albania, Malta, and Greece—and in new markets such as Hungary and Andorra. Twenty-two percent are located in the Americas, across Latin America and the Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Argentina, Honduras, and Peru), as well as in the United States (Miami). The remainder are distributed across markets that are already strategic for Meliá's expansion, particularly in Asia, with 6% of new signings in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Meliá continues to diversify its portfolio to attract different customer segments, strengthening the presence of its most emblematic brands. These include Meliá Hotels & Resorts, with flagship international projects such as Meliá Maldives Whale Lagoon, Meliá Seychelles, Meliá Bahrain, and Meliá Serenity Cam Ranh in Vietnam, as well as SOL by Meliá, the Group's iconic family resort brand, which is unveiling its refreshed brand identity at FITUR to adapt to new times.
Among the Group's most recent brands, notable growth is expected for ZEL, which will open new hotels in 2026 in Madrid, Cozumel, Fuerteventura, and Crete. The Meliá Collection will also expand with new openings of distinctive, character-led hotels in exclusive destinations such as Lima, Mallorca, and Cádiz, in addition to incorporating the MiM Hotels portfolio—owned by Leo Messi—into The Meliá Collection brand.
Quality-driven openings and repositioning
In both its current and future expansion, Meliá's strategy prioritizes the world's most sought-after destinations and the luxury segment, across both new additions and its ambitious repositioning program. In 2026, the Group will open 28 hotels, including its first properties in highly exotic destinations such as the Maldives and the Seychelles.
As Escarrer emphasized, this growth will not come at the expense of Spain, the Group's country of origin, where Meliá remains the leading hotel company by number of rooms, holding an absolute leadership position in Andalusia and the Balearic Islands. In 2026, new hotels will open in Estepona, Cádiz, Benalmádena, and Granada, as well as in Mallorca, Madrid, and Fuerteventura.
Seventy-eight percent of hotels in the development pipeline fall within the premium and luxury segments. Meliá already has nearly 50 hotels affiliated with some of the world's most prestigious luxury consortia, such as Leading Hotels of the World (11 hotels), AMEX Fine Hotels (31 hotels), and Virtuoso. Central to this positioning is Meliá's repositioning strategy, which will have transformed—whether or not involving a brand change—more than 90 hotels since 2023, through joint investments with partners totaling over €975 million.
Today, the Group boasts a higher-quality and more sustainable portfolio, with upgraded categories and facilities. Notable reopenings in 2026 will include several flagship properties, such as Paradisus Bali, Paradisus Cancún, and Gran Meliá Don Pepe, among others.
Innovation and partnerships for sustainable growth
As Meliá's Chairman highlighted, in addition to a revitalized and increasingly valuable portfolio and a strong brand platform, the Group counts its proprietary distribution and personalization capabilities—via its direct sales channels—among its key strategic assets, representing a clear competitive advantage in today's market. At the same time, Meliá has built a robust ecosystem of top-tier partners to support long-term strategic growth.
Since 2023, the Company has doubled the number of joint ventures in which it participates with hotel property owners, encompassing 40 assets with approximately 14,000 rooms and an estimated valuation of close to €3 billion. Meliá intends to continue strengthening preferential partnerships with trusted, long-term partners as a core vehicle for expansion.
The Group has also embraced innovative management models such as branded residences, with a total of 28 hotels—open or in development—that incorporate this ownership format while leveraging Meliá's most prestigious hotel brands. Through these alliances, the continued shift toward the luxury and lifestyle segments, and the strengthening of its direct channels, Meliá expects to sustainably drive the Group's expansion while enhancing the resilience and optimization of its revenues.
70 years focused on people
Finally, Meliá's Chairman reaffirmed his confidence that a key pillar of the Company's strength remains the solidity of its culture and values. This is reflected in the Group's leadership positioning in areas of critical importance to the sector, such as sustainability and talent, supported by top rankings in global benchmarks including S&P Global, Top Employer, and MERCO Talento.
Escarrer, in addition to financial and corporate strength, these factors will be decisive for the future Meliá envisions: “Celebrating 70 years with the same strength and innovative spirit that defined our beginnings is proof of the power of a unique legacy, embodied in our philosophy and values and amplified across 44 countries by more than 45,000 employees. We are therefore confident in our goal of maintaining our leadership in the leisure segments—both urban and resort—for at least another 70 years, with an increasing focus on luxury and a positioning as a benchmark hotel manager, recognized for its resilience and strong commitment to sustainability....- Hotel Management Global Outlook Link
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