Melia Hotels International presents the Meliá Cartagena de Indias, its fourth hotel in Colombia

• The hotel opening is scheduled for first quarter 2017
• The company has hotels in Medellin and Bogotá franchised under the Tryp brand

Meliá Hotels International continues its international growth in Colombia, one of the most dynamic markets in Latin America, with the announcement of the opening of the new Meliá Cartagena in Cartagena de Indias, scheduled for first quarter 2017. Cartagena is a strategic location in the Caribbean and one of the prime destinations for a vacations and business events.

Meliá Cartagena will provide 154 rooms, a "destination-restaurant" and a buffet restaurant, a bar, spa, Beach Club and rooms for meetings and events, one of the fastest growing segments in the region.

The Hotel is located in an idyllic setting, on the beach and very close to the 18-hole Karibana golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, just 15 minutes from the historic center of Cartagena de Indias and 10 minutes from the Rafael Núñez International Airport. The hotel will operate under an "Adults Only" formula.

Declared a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site in 1984, Cartagena de Indias is an emerging destination in the Colombian Caribbean providing lush scenery, gorgeous beaches, intense and exciting nightlife, internationally-famous cultural festivals, and great dining. As Gabriel Escarrer, Vice Chairman and CEO of Meliá declared, "Meliá Cartagena shows our company's commitment to a new vacation destination for international travelers, while the first hotel for the Meliá brand in Colombia, strengthens our brand portfolio in a market which we consider a priority".

Developers, BASKARIBEÑA DE SERVICIOS S.A.S. and PROMOTORA KARMAIRI S.A.S. also declared their satisfaction with the new project, and their commitment to providing the facilities and services to make the new Melia Cartagena de Indias a benchmark for hospitality in Cartagena and Colombia.

"For us, working on a project with so much potential together with Meliá, who we feel is the ideal operator thanks to their extensive experience in luxury resorts around the world, provides us with significant peace of mind and confidence in everyone that forms part of the project," declared Mauricio Martinez, CEO of PROMOTORA KARMAIRI. "It's real a challenge to create such an innovative concept focused on wellness and relaxation to meet the needs of an emerging market with high future potential growth in a strong tourist destination such as Cartagena. This is definitely the right time to develop a project with an internationally renowned operator, which fits perfectly with the strong momentum of the Colombian economy and the objectives for future growth of our Company "