Luxury Hotels Atlas / The Maison / ME by Meliá
ME by Meliá hotels
Art, music and bold architecture shape social hotels, with Aura teams guiding the atmosphere.
ME by Meliá makes the hotel part of a city’s social life, with contemporary art, expressive architecture, restaurants, and music shaping the atmosphere. Launched in 2006, the brand carries a Southern European sensibility through its collection, with Radio Rooftop bars and the personal Aura service concept among its recurring touches.
12 ME by Meliá hotels in 7 countries on the Luxury Hotels Atlas, each placed on the six LHA Tiers.
- Owned by Meliá Hotels International
- Worldwide: Approximately 12 operating hotels in 8 countries, concentrated in Europe and the Americas, with rapid pipeline expansion into Asia Pacific and additional Mediterranean markets
- On the atlas: 7 Core Luxury, 5 Accessible Luxury
History
Architects including Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid helped give ME its interest in expressive buildings. Art, Radio Rooftop bars, and the Aura team’s attention to atmosphere carried that identity into the stay. Later openings brought the same social sensibility into new cities and resort settings.
Timeline
- 1956 — Gabriel Escarrer Juliá founds the hotel company in Palma de Mallorca at age 21; the group eventually becomes Spain's largest hotel operator.
- 2006 — ME by Meliá brand launched as the group's most avant-garde label; brand concept built around the "Aura", a three-way connection between product, team member, and guest
- 2007 — ME Madrid Reina Victoria opens as the inaugural ME hotel, a conversion of the 1923 Gran Hotel Reina Victoria on Plaza Santa Ana, redesigned by British architect Keith Hobbs of United Designers; Ernest Hemingway's former haunt reborn as a design-forward lifestyle address
- 2007 — ME Cabo (Los Cabos, Mexico) rebranded from Meliá Cabo San Lucas, the brand's second property and first outside Spain
- 2007 — ME Cancun opens in Mexico's Zona Hotelera, making three ME hotels in the first year.
- 2013 — ME London opens on The Strand, the first hotel in which Foster + Partners designed everything from the building shell to the bathroom fittings; Radio Rooftop Bar debuts as the brand's signature F&B concept, operated in partnership with The ONE Group
- 2014 — ME Ibiza opens at Santa Eulalia del Río, joining The Leading Hotels of the World within one month of opening; ME Mallorca opens in Calvià.
- 2015 — ME Milan Il Duca opens in the Aldo Rossi-designed building on Piazza della Repubblica; STK Steakhouse debuts as a second F&B brand partner within ME properties
- 2016 — ME Miami opens at 1100 Biscayne Boulevard, the brand's first US property, designed by Zyscovich Architects; ME Barcelona tower (Dominique Perrault, 2008) joins the portfolio.
- 2018 — ME by Meliá wins "Innovative Luxury New Hotel for Southern Europe" at the World Luxury Hotels Awards.
- 2019 — ME Sitges Terramar joins the portfolio (pre-renovation branding); Meliá Hotels International commits to 40% luxury portfolio expansion over 2023–2026.
- 2020 — ME Dubai opens within The Opus, Zaha Hadid's only project in which she designed both the building exterior and the entire hotel interior; ME by Meliá's first Middle East address
- 2021 — Meliá sells ME Cancun for €61.2 million but retains management; ME Barcelona refurbished and reopens (November) with interiors by local studios incorporating Patricia Urquiola and Jaime Hayón pieces.
- 2022 — ME Sitges Terramar reopens after complete refurbishment by LaGranja Design, the brand's first Catalan coast address, 20 miles from Barcelona
- 2023 — ME by Meliá signs its first China property, ME Guangzhou, marking the brand's first signed deal in Asia Pacific; ME Sayulita (Mexico) opens.
- 2024 — ME Malta opens in St. Julian's (October/November), the second ME hotel designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, inside the Mercury Towers development; ME by Meliá operates in 7 countries.
- 2025 — ME Lisbon opens (June) as Portugal's first luxury lifestyle hotel, designed by João Paciência with Broadway Malyan interiors; ME Marbella opens (July), Andalusian debut; ME Málaga opens, the brand's second Andalusian address, with Michelin-starred chefs Javier Sanz and Juan Sahuquillo curating the signature rooftop restaurant.
The houses to know
- ME Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Zaha Hadid designed both the exterior and the complete interiors of the Dubai hotel.
- ME Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain — This is ME’s Barcelona address.
- ME Ibiza, Santa Eulalia del Río, Spain — A whitewashed five-star resort on the quieter east coast of Ibiza, a deliberate counterpoint to the island's clubbing reputation, and a Leading Hotels of the World member within a month of opening.
- ME Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal — Lisbon's first luxury lifestyle hotel, a João Paciência glass tower beside Eduardo VII Park, with a rooftop pool and Fismuler's Nordic-Iberian cuisine making its debut outside Spain.
- ME Malta, St. Julian's, Malta — The Malta hotel occupies a twenty-floor tower designed by Zaha Hadid.
- ME Cabo, Los Cabos, Mexico — The brand's longest-standing resort, a 170-room adults-only beach hotel at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, where the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez converge.
- ME Madrid Reina Victoria, Madrid, Spain — The Madrid hotel introduced the ME brand in a building linked to Hemingway and the city’s bullfighting history.
- ME Marbella, Marbella, Spain — The brand's Costa del Sol statement, 200 rooms between Puerto Banús and the Old Town, with an indoor beach, three dining concepts, and a palette drawn from the Sierra Blanca mountains.
- ME London, London, United Kingdom — The only hotel in which Sir Norman Foster's practice designed everything from the urban façade to the bathroom fittings, and still London's most architecturally uncompromising lifestyle address.
- ME Málaga, Málaga, Spain — The hotel is in Málaga, Spain.
Newest openings
- ME Malta — St. Julian's, Malta — opened October/November 2024 — 113 rooms, 27 suites, and 35 residences across 20 floors within the Zaha Hadid Architects-designed Mercury Towers development, the tallest buildings in Malta and one of Hadid's final personally-approved projects before her death in 2016; the second ME property bearing a Zaha Hadid exterior and interior design; Radio Rooftop Bar on the 20th floor with 360° Mediterranean views; Cabana Club beach club on the 8th floor; Luciano by Gino D'Acampo restaurant
- ME Lisbon — Avenida António Augusto de Aguiar, Lisbon, Portugal — opened June 2025 — 213 rooms; the brand's Portugal debut and Lisbon's first luxury lifestyle hotel; glass-façade tower designed by Portuguese architect João Paciência with Broadway Malyan interiors; Radio Rooftop Bar (branded Attiko) with near-360° city views and a small pool; Fismuler restaurant making its first appearance outside Spain; located near Marquês de Pombal Square and Eduardo VII Park
- ME Marbella — Puerto Banús / Old Town corridor, Marbella, Spain — opened July 2025 — 200 rooms including 24 suites; Andalusian debut of the ME brand; designed by ASAH Studio (Adriana and Álvaro Sans); organic shapes and a colour palette drawn from the ochres of the Sierra Blanca mountains, whitewashed lime, and the Mediterranean blue; three dining venues developed with Pont Hospitality; Oasis beach club with an indoor beach; electric llaüt boat experiences and Spain's first underwater winery wine tastings
- ME Málaga — Calle Victoria 6, historic centre, Málaga, Spain — opened early 2026 — 128 rooms, 14 junior suites, 8 suites; designed by ASAH Studio; lobby features original Picasso and Miró works; signature rooftop restaurant Cañitas Maite operated by Forbes "30 Under 30" chefs Javier Sanz and Juan Sahuquillo (three Michelin stars, "Revelation Chefs" at Madrid Fusión 2021); heated rooftop infinity pool and solarium; steps from Plaza de la Merced and the Alcazaba
Opening next
- ME Guadalajara — Guadalajara, Mexico — expected 2025/2026 — confirmed; the brand's first urban hotel in Mexico
- ME San Miguel de Allende — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico — expected 2026 — confirmed; 140 rooms in Meliá's most emblematic Mexican colonial city
- ME Sayulita — Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico — announced; 125 rooms and villas in a beachfront new-build on Mexico's Pacific Riviera Nayarit coast; three restaurants, spa, beach club and rooftop pool
- ME Guangzhou — Guangzhou International Financial City, Guangzhou, China — expected 2027 — confirmed; 120 rooms and suites in the Huangpu Bay Business Circle; the brand's Asia Pacific debut; signed with Guangzhou Aocheng Investment Company; Pearl River views
Every ME by Meliá hotel on the atlas
Spain
- ME Barcelona — Barcelona · Core Luxury
- ME Ibiza — Santa Eulalia del Río · Core Luxury
- ME Madrid Reina Victoria — Madrid · Core Luxury
- ME Málaga — Málaga · Accessible Luxury
- ME Marbella — Marbella · Accessible Luxury
- ME Sitges Terramar — Sitges · Accessible Luxury
Italy
- ME Milan Il Duca — Milan · Accessible Luxury
Malta
- ME Malta — St. Julian's · Core Luxury
Mexico
- ME Cabo — Los Cabos · Core Luxury
Portugal
- ME Lisbon — Lisbon · Core Luxury
United Arab Emirates
- ME Dubai — Dubai · Core Luxury
United Kingdom
- ME London — London · Accessible Luxury
Open The Maison in the atlas for ME by Meliá's full dossier, with prices and maps.