Hotel giant Meliá vows to turn Holiday World into 'benchmark resort on the Costa del Sol' during Fitur presentation in Madrid

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The King and Queen of Spain signed the book of condolences for the victims of the Adamuz train crash at the Andalusian exhibition stand

Pilar Martínez

Enviada Especial Madrid

Friday, 23 January 2026, 14:57

Meliá Hotels has been well received at this year's Fitur international tourism fair in Madrid. On Thursday, the head of the hospitality chain, Gabriel Escarrer, laid out the milestones and new developments scheduled for 2026. Although the year has just begun, Escarrer believes that it will be a successful one, based on the early bookings guests are already making.

This observation is also shared by other companies and the airlines that are presenting at this year's fair, which ends on Sunday. Naturally, advanced bookings "generate greater peace of mind for companies".

During his appearance, Escarrer said that the Costa del Sol remains a strategic area in the expansion of his company, with five five-star projects in the making, which represent an investment of more than 125 million euros. In addition, Meliá has acquired the management rights for the largest hotel complex on the Costa del Sol, the Holiday World, with four establishments with almost 900 rooms.

Escarrer stated that his company is planning to turn Holiday World, owned by the Peñarroya family, into "a benchmark for quality in the area". The CEO of Meliá expressed his belief that this collaboration with a family "committed to quality" will lead to even greater prosperity of the hotel.

Regarding this new alliance, Escarrer said that "the agreement is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship with the Peñarroya family".

New Holiday World Resort and Meliá projects

In the presentation at Fitur, Meliá revealed the new features of the Holiday World complex, ahead of the new tourist season.

The Holiday World Village hotel, which opens on 1 March, following a complete refurbishment of the 360 rooms, the buffet restaurant and the common areas, will play a leading role. "This project highlights Holiday World Resort's commitment to quality, innovation and adaptation to the new expectations of family holiday tourism, with more comfortable, modern spaces with a marked Mediterranean style," Escarrer said.

CEO of Holiday World Resort Mari Francis Peñarroya said that "Fitur is the perfect place to showcase the development of the largest resort on the Costa del Sol". "The comprehensive refurbishment of Holiday World Village reflects our commitment to enhancing the experience of our guests, with a more modern, comfortable product that is aligned with the demands of today's tourist," she said, agreeing with Escarrer that the new alliance will help the brand "strengthen its national and international positioning".

Another key date is 21 February, when the four professional pickleball courts are scheduled to open

The resort is coming back to life on 24 February, with the opening of the Riwo hotel, followed by the Polynesia on 12 February and the Village on 1 March. The beach club will be operational from 1 April. Casamaïa Apartments is open all year round. Another key date is 21 February, when the four professional pickleball courts are going to be inaugurated, consolidating the resort as a destination for sports tourism.

Escarrer also announced that, at the end of May, they expect to open a five-star hotel in Estepona, followed by another five-star hotel in Ronda at some point this year. "We already have 22 hotels in Malaga province. We have experienced very significant growth. In two years, we have gone from a single five-star luxury hotel, the Meliá Don Pepe, to five five-star establishments such as the ME Málaga, the ME Marbella, the Meliá Collection Estepona, the new opening in Ronda and the new Don Pepe," he said.

Escarrer highlighted that Meliá is "the leading hotel company in Andalucía, with 38 establishments, and very significant growth planned for 2026, with the opening of hotels in Cadiz, Ronda, Estepona and Granada".

The King and Queen of Spain visit the Andalusian stand

The second day of Fitur was marked by a visit from King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who made a special stop at the large Andalusian exhibition stand. There, they honoured the victims of the Adamuz train crash and their families by signing the condolences book.

The king left a long message: "On visiting the Andalusia stand at the 46th Fitur, we want to leave a testimony in the signature book of the grief we share with all Spaniards and fair visitors, in light of the railway tragedy in Adamuz, Cordoba. With all our affection, Felipe and Letizia." The queen read the statement out loud and signed it.

Before continuing with the tour, Felipe VI talked to Secretary General of Tourism in Andalucía Yolanda de Aguilar about the state funeral to be held in Huelva on 31 January.

Near the Andalusian stand, the Malaga exhibition space was preparing to discuss the future of tourism with 12 other Spanish cities and to exchange experiences and opinions regarding topics such as AI and the improvement of air connectivity. Among the cities attending the professional meeting were Barcelona, Valencia, Melilla, Bilbao, Santander, Mallorca and Tenerife.

Fitur is now entering the final stretch of the three days exclusively dedicated to professionals, after which it opens to the general public over the weekend.