PALMA DE MALLORCA — Melia’s expansion strategy includes 30 hotels signed up in 2017, 23 openings scheduled for 2018 and 67 hotels in the pipeline (including 16,000+ rooms coming to the portfolio during the next two years).

The hotel company now counts 370 hotels in 43 countries on four continents under its brands: Gran Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Paradisus Resorts, ME by Meliá, Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Innside by Meliá, Sol Hotels & Resorts and TRYP by Wyndham.

Some 90% of the new hotels added in 2017 are under management and franchise agreements. Melia says it is also putting a powerful focus on Asia Pacific, with 33% of the properties in the pipeline in that region.

Melia says its strong presence of the company in high-growth regions including the Caribbean, Spain and Asia, and the recovery of markets such as Paris and London, helped shield the company’s results from unexpected negative events such as Hurricanes Irma and María in the Caribbean, the loss of business in Catalonia during the fourth quarter, due to political instability, and the dollar-euro exchange rate.

Melia posted net profit of Can$199.93 million, up 27.8%, and revenues totalling $2,944 million.

Melia reviewed its brand lineup in 2017 comprising its three luxury brands (Paradisus by Meliá, ME by Meliá and Gran Meliá) and two upscale superior brands (Meliá and Innside by Meliá). “In addition to the comprehensive transformation of its Sol by Meliá brand in 2015 and 2016, the company has thus now defined the new value proposition for each of its brands, aimed at increasingly diverse, global and demanding customers.”

Melia says its hotels in the Americas took a hit from the strong impact after Maria and Irma in the fourth quarter, especially the hotels in Cuba, which, despite the rapid response of the Cuban government to repair the damages in just two months and restore normal operations, suffered an interruption in bookings in some key markets leading to a reduction in fee income of 76.1% in the final quarter, says Melia. Mexico remained a preferred destinations, Melia notes, while the D.R. also recorded an improvement in the fourth quarter of the year.