Argentina says Rafael Nadal and Melià will open luxury hotels in the country.

PalmThe Argentine government announced this Tuesday that former tennis player Rafael Nadal and the Melià hotel group will establish seven luxury hotels in the South American country. "Rafel Nadal is arriving in Argentina with a tourism venture: seven luxury hotels alongside Melià Hotels International," reported Daniel Scioli, Secretary of Tourism, Environment, and Sports in the Javier Milei administration.

In a post on his social media profile reported by EFE, Scioli specified that the hotels will be under the Zel brand, born from the merger of Navidad and Melià Hotels International, which already has one establishment in Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and two in Spain: one in Mallorca.

"This shows the growing interest in Argentina of entrepreneurial figures like Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Melià Hotels, and of an outstanding figure like Rafael, now in a different stage of his life," added the Secretary of Tourism, Environment and Sports, who emphasized that the hotels will be located in "destinations."

Although the government has not provided further information, the local press has anticipated that three of the new hotels will be located in the Patagonian towns of Calafate, Bariloche, and Ushuaia; three in the north of the country—Iguazú, Posadas, and Salta—and a seventh in the city of Mendoza.

These hotels will be added to the five that Melià already has in the country, including one in Iguazú National Park and four in Buenos Aires.

Melià corrects the Argentine government

Following statements from Argentina's Tourism Minister, in which he explained that the hotel group would open seven new hotels, Melià has specified that five new hotels will be opened, in addition to five already operating.

Sources at Melià have specified that the company is promoting an intensive expansion plan for its hotel brands. premium and luxury hotels in Argentina in recent years, "a commitment facilitated by the support of the Argentine government."

Within this framework, the Spanish group will incorporate five new establishments in Ushuaia, Buenos Aires, Salta, and Mendoza in the coming years; which will join the five already operating. Among the signed hotels will be products from the different brands: Cel (created by Melià with Rafael Nadal), as well as Gran Melià, The Melià Collection, Melià, and Innside by Melià.