Meliá Hotels International, the first Spanish hotel to operate in China, announced further growth in the country with the signature of a management agreement for a new hotel in the city of Chongqing, the result of an intense globalisation process that defines the growth strategy of the company, and in which Asia-Pacific plays a prominent role.

The Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Meliá Hotels International, Gabriel Escarrer, said from Asia that the company “will continue to advance in the coming years in positioning its brands in China, to become one of the tourist development leaders in this gigantic market and strengthen its leadership position among the major international hotel chains, in parallel with the consolidation of other world-class destinations such as Spain or the Caribbean”.

The new Meliá Chongqing will be the third Meliá hotel in China, adding to the current portfolio of the Gran Meliá Shanghai, open since 2009, and the Gran Meliá Xian, whose opening is scheduled for 2013. In addition, the hotel is the first for the Meliá Hotels & Resorts brand in China, after a long history in the Asia-Pacific region and a successful presence for more than two decades in destinations such as Bali or Vietnam.

The hotel, developed by MCC Hong Chen Real Estate, will be the first international 5 star hotel on the mountain of Tie Shan Ping and will be fully integrated with its beautiful natural environment, following the Leed Gold standard, the leading certification for sustainable construction in China. The Meliá Chongqing Hotel will have 280 rooms and three restaurants and will provide the growing business travel segment with the first opportunity to hold events and conventions in a privileged environment, just 20 minutes from the centre of Chongqing, located in central China and with 7 million inhabitants.