Meliá to open hotel at Iguazu Falls
Meliá Hotels International has announced the signing and imminent opening of the Meliá Iguazu, the only hotel located in the heart of Iguazu National Park in Argentina.
The area is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Meliá Iguazu will be the only hotel with panoramic views of the famous “Devil’s Throat”, giving the company a unique opportunity to become a global benchmark in this travel destination.
Until recently managed by Sheraton, the Meliá Iguazu took over the hotel on 30 September, with plans to completely renovate and update its facilities next year, in keeping with the standards of the Meliá Hotels & Resorts brand.
The hotel contains 169 rooms – including waterfall-view rooms – and a wide range of dining facilities (including a takeaway area), swimming pools, spa, gym, children’s play areas and meeting and event rooms. The hotel also has a Visitor Centre focused on the enhancement of the natural environment of Iguazu, and its customers can easily walk to the Falls.
The Iguazu Falls are 23 kilometres from the mouth of the river of the same name, and comprise more than 270 waterfalls that reach heights of 80 metres. They can be seen from Argentina or Brazil and the inaccessible “Devil’s Throat” defines the border between both countries. The main viewpoints are on the Argentinean side, which receives most tourist visits. The waterfalls are the main tourist attraction in the northeast of Argentina and one of the most important in the country.
Gabriel Escarrer, the company’s vice president and CEO, said: “The opening of Meliá Iguazu in one of the most important travel destinations in South America is undoubtedly one of the greatest achievements of our international expansion this year.
“We are very pleased to be able to bring our Spanish hospitality to one of the most beautiful corners of the planet, and to form part of the experience of thousands of travellers, to whom we are committed to offering the highest standards of our Meliá brand.”
The rebranding of the hotel will allow the Spanish hotel company to strengthen its presence in Argentina, a country where it already operates Meliá Recoleta Plaza and Meliá Buenos Aires, both in Buenos Aires.