Melia Hotels International : GABRIEL ESCARRER AND PRESIDENT MAURICIO MACRI INAUGURATE THE GRAN MELIÁ IGUAZU, A NEW LUXURY HOTEL FOR MELIÁ IN ARGENTINA

Meliá Hotels International has officially opened the Gran Meliá Iguazu, the only hotel on the Argentine side of Iguazu National Park, considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Iguazu Falls are 23 kilometres from the mouth of the Iguazu river and comprise more than 270 waterfalls that reach up to 80 metres in height. They can be seen from both Argentina and Brazil, with the inaccessible Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo) chasm defining the borders between both countries. The most important viewing pathways are located on the Argentine side, site of the Gran Meliá Iguazu.

The official ceremony was attended by the President of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, and the Tourism Minister Gustavo Santos, in support of the country's commitment to responsible tourism development, as well as other consular, international, national and provincial authorities including Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the UNWTO, the Governor of the Province of Misiones, Hugo Passalacqua, and the Executive Vice President and CEO of Meliá Hotels International, Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, and the CEO of Albwardy Investments, Ali Albwardy.

The spectacular 20-million-dollar renovation has created a large number of specialist jobs and involved all of the 183 guestrooms, of which half have frontal views of the Falls. Meliá was recently named the third most sustainable hotel company in the world, and aims to convert the hotel into a new icon for responsible tourism. The renovation has taken great care to respect the natural environment of Iguazu National Park and integrate ecological values into the design of the building, converting the facades into vertical gardens and integrating local culture using decoration made by hand by local Guarani communities. The hotel is part of the Company's collection of exceptional hotels located in natural spaces, such as Meliá Serengeti Lodge and Meliá Ba Vi Mountain.

As the most recent addition to the Gran Meliá brand family, Gran Meliá Iguazu offers rooms and suites adapted to the standards of the brand, a symbol of timeless Spanish luxury with an avant-garde flair. The hotel also features an excellent Spa and a 50-metre-long infinity pool with stunning views of the Devil's Throat, as well as a modern gym, children's area and meeting and event rooms. The RedLevel service, an attribute of the Gran Meliá brand, offers private services and spaces plus access to premium amenities and superior room categories: Royal Suite, Presidential Suite, Master Suite and Iguazu Suite, to further enhance the experience of comfort and luxury for guests.

New dining facilities include a casual restaurant with views of the Devil's Throat for breakfast and dinner service, the signature Origen Restaurant offering authentic Misiones cuisine with a modern touch, the Amaro Lobby Bar and a Rooftop Bar serving a Spanish tapas menu accompanied by breath-taking views of the falls.

During the inauguration, Gabriel Escarrer stressed that 'with 80 hotels in the region, South America continues to be a priority for the company, and we are proud to witness the growing stature of Argentina in international travel and its firm commitment to quality tourism'. President Macri also emphasized the commitment of his Government to promote sustainability and quality tourism and leverage its huge capacity for job creation.

Meliá Hotels International thus reinforces its presence in Argentina, where it already operates the Meliá Recoleta Plaza and Meliá Buenos Aires, both in the capital Buenos Aires.