PALMA DE MALLORCA, SPAIN Sol Meliá SA, Spain’s largest hotel company, has changed its name to Meliá Hotels International.
The addition of the word “International” is intended to emphasize the diversity of Meliá’s business and its increasingly global nature. The name change also places the emphasis on the company’s largest and most recognized brand—Meliá Hotels & Resorts.
“With this new name, we will combine the legacy of Sol Meliá—including its portfolio of brands, its know-how, its service culture and its talented employees—with the aspiration of becoming a point of reference for international tourism, one which is global in its outlook, efficient, reliable, responsible and able to compete amongst the largest multinational groups,” says CEO Gabriel Escarrer.
The company has simultaneously defined a new strategic plan for the 2012-2014 period with a clear focus on globalization, the development of its hotel management capacity and its commitment to sustainability. The company has also adapted its internal structure, enhancing strategic areas and creating two new business areas: Asia Pacific and real estate, which will lead the growth in the region and maximize returns on company assets, respectively.
“The revitalization of the corporate name will be a catalyst towards a new era for one of the world’s largest resort hotel chains, helping us strengthen our growth plans and achieve greater international recognition,” says Luis del Olmo, executive vice president of marketing.
Meliá, founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca, boasts a portfolio of more than 350 hotels and 87,000 guestrooms in 35 countries under its Gran Meliá, Meliá, ME, Innside, Tryp by Wyndham, Sol and Paradisus brands.