Page 29 - November 2020

MELIÁ CALVIÁ BEACH
Majorca, Spain

MELIÁ MADRID SERRANO ME MILAN IL DUCA
Madrid, Spain Milan, Italy

eliá Hotels International (MHI) now has 390 segmentation too, which ultimately has a positive impact on the
owned and operated under management destination in general, igniting a snowball effect in the destination’s
hotels in over 40 countries in four continents. ecosystem.
MLeading the way with 140 hotels in Spain, the “Our motto is ‘leisure at heart, business in mind. Our
company also has a prominent position in countries such as company is one of the leading groups in the resort segment,
Cuba, Germany, Mexico & the Dominican Republic, Indonesia and after 65 years of history, we know how to create unique
and Vietnam, with a strong footprint across LATAM. and memorable experiences, that we have also been able to
With its additional focus on leisure and bleisure (business & transfer to the increasingly leisure-inspired segment of urban
leisure) destinations; they are increasingly visible in European hotels,” Escarrer comments.
gateway cities such as London, Milan, Paris as well as the Middle With e-commerce and social media now playing such a
East, Africa and China. pivotal role in the success of a company, Escarrer explains that
“For a global company like ours 2019 was a challenging year; digitisation is the backbone of MHI’s strategic plan, and it has
however our results remained in line with expectations despite become even more important post-Covid-19, as customer
Promoting Escarrer, Vice-Chairman and CEO of Meliá Hotels International. and after a huge investment of almost 200 million since 2015,
habits change and the use of digital channels increases.
the effects of simultaneous extraordinary events,” explains Gabriel
“E-commerce has been essential for us for some years now,
“In terms of reputation, we have focused on maintaining and
we are amongst the industry leaders when it comes to digital
strengthening the relationship with our customers through these
distribution; now, e-commerce makes up more than 70 per cent
troubled times, increasing the engagement and positive sentiment
Transformation towards our brands through honest and regular communication.” of our total sales, and our channels melia.com and MeliaPro.com
The company currently has a development pipeline of 54
represent over 40 per cent of our sales.”
hotels which includes the new Paradisus Playa Mujeres in Mexico,
As a family-born company that was listed on the stock
the Gran Meliá Chengdu in China, the Innside Amsterdam and
market 25 years ago, the company epitomises strong ‘family’
the ME Barcelona in Europe and the ME Doha in the Middle East.
Moving forward, the vision for MHI is to grow in both the values and solid corporate governance that imposes special
rigor and transparency. Considering this, Escarrer defines the
The leading hotel company in Spain and one of the largest in the world, Meliá Hotels leisure and bleisure segments. As such, the strategic focus is company’s mission as: “To promote a transformation that makes
currently on Southern European countries such as Italy, Spain, the company more profitable and sustainable based on three
International operates seven well-known brands and is unique among the 20 largest Portugal and Greece, along with Montenegro and Croatia in the fundamental drivers: the consolidation of our core values and
Balkans, whilst also keeping an eye on Southeast Asia, mainly in strengths; efficiency, simplification and digitalisation; and a new
international hotel groups in having an origin in leisure. Here, RLI speaks with Gabriel Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. strategy for responsible growth consistent with our vision.”
Commenting on the challenges that lie ahead, Gabriel
When looking for new properties, MHI first take into
Escarrer, Vice-Chairman and CEO of Meliá Hotels International to discuss how the consideration the facilities, the number and type of rooms, the believes that firstly the tourism industry needs to re-start
brand has reached this unique position in the market and what its plans functionality of its premises, and how it meets brand standards. as soon as possible and be built on stronger and more
“What we also do is consider the ‘magic’ that we can sustainable foundations.
are for the future. create in the property, which depends, to a high extent, on “Currently at MHI, we are focused on re-setting ourselves
its design, spaces, architecture, and something that is very and re-thinking our strategy and operating model, taking
important for us: the open spaces, gardens, terraces and advantage of this period to improve and be prepared to face
roof-tops,” explains Escarrer. the challenging and more competitive post-Covid market,
The company chooses its destinations very carefully and they and to be able to seize the opportunities that the new
aim for the hotels to become social epicentres of the cities and environment brings. We expect a strong market contraction
resort destinations in which they are situated, so that the hotel that could last until 2023 or 2024, offering growth
is integrated into its surroundings, improving its perception and opportunities for the most efficient, agile and responsible
reputation. Finally, they work very hard on improving the hotels’ companies,” Escarrer concludes.

GRAN MELIÁ IGUAZÚ ME DUBAI
Misiones, Argentina Dubai, UAE
NOVEMBER 2020 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL 19