Rafael Nadal and Meliá Hotels Collaborate on New Hotel Brand
From luxury catamarans to a million-dollar Richard Mille watch, Rafael Nadal is clearly a man of great taste. The world-famous tennis star has now teamed up with the Meliá company to launch a new hotel brand called Zel.
Since both Rafa and Meliá come from Majorca, the new hotels will have a distinctly Mediterranean flair.
Gabriel Escarrer, CEO of Meliá Hotels International, said:
"The result of adding the inspiring leadership of Rafa Nadal and the international experience of more than 65 years in the creation of luxury hotels and the hotel management of Meliá, materializes today in the design of a unique brand, which the traveler will fall in love and surprise the new generations," "An innovative hotel brand, full of energy, with a new interpretation of well-being and a model of sustainability.
We are happy to finally be able to collaborate, as partners in this project, with an icon on a personal and sporting level such as Rafa," Escarrer added. "Zel is synonymous with feeling good at all times, enjoying life and the way we live it throughout the Mediterranean" - Rafael Nadal.
"The launch of our hotel brand is a project that, as a Spaniard, a Mallorcan, and as a traveler around the world, I have had in mind. Zel is synonymous with feeling good at all times, enjoying life and the way we live it throughout the Mediterranean.
From the first moment I was attracted to this new concept that we have been developing together with Meliá. I am confident that Zel will be a story of success and growth and that it will be enjoyed by all who go to the hotels, which in the end is the reason for its creation," Nadal said.
The Zel brand plans to launch its first hotel in Majorca in 2023, with the goal of opening additional locations along the Mediterranean coast and eventually expanding to other regions, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas.
The Zel team aims to open over 20 hotels within the next five years, targeting affluent travelers in areas where Melia, the company that operates more than 350 hotels in 35 countries under various brands, already has a presence.