The company also announces the signing of its fourth hotel in Malaysia, Meliá Melaka

Meliá Hotels International, the leading hotel group in Spain and one of the largest in the world, continues to grow its presence in China, the world’s largest travel market. The company has recently opened the Meliá Shanghai Hongqiao, a five-star hotel aimed at the bleisure segment, a segment in which the company has demonstrated its strength and ability to meet the needs of customers who aim to combine both business and leisure on their travels.

Located just a short distance from the National Exhibition and Convention Centre in the west of Shanghai and 10 minutes from Hongqiao Airport, the hotel has a prime location for business travellers combined with exceptional dining and wellness facilities. Meliá Shanghai Hongqiao has 187 luxuriously equipped rooms with sophisticated interior decoration with an Asian flair, as well as the VIP The level service characteristic of the Meliá brand. Three Chinese neoclassical independent villas measuring 400m² and with a garden, offer an additional accommodation option accompanied by exclusive services such as a personal butler, private dinners or limousine service.

The hotel also provides 700m2 of space and facilities for events and meetings, a YHI Spa - the wellness sanctuary of the Meliá Hotels & Resorts brand - indoor pool and gym, while the Spanish chef Abel López Reina runs the Merkado Restaurant, combining Mediterranean and Asian cuisine and adding a Spanish touch to the hotel experience. In addition, the Garbo Bar aims to become one of the best cocktail bars in the area.

This is the third hotel for the company in China, joining the Gran Meliá Xian and Meliá Jinan, and it expects to open another five hotels in the future.

Meliá Hotels International also continues to strengthen its sales and distribution strategy in China, and has extended its partnership with Ctrip, the country's leading online travel agency, to improve its brand recognition and attract a greater number of Chinese guests to its hotels all over the world.

Meliá Hotels International also announced its fourth hotel in Malaysia. The new Meliá Melaka, in the centre of the city of Melaka (named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO), just a short distance from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area.

The hotel, owned by Haleton Group, will provide 250 rooms, including The Level service. It will also have a garden and rooftop pool with panoramic views, YHI Spa, gym and various dining options. Its opening is scheduled for 2020.

As announced by the Company's CEO, Gabriel Escarrer, during his speech at the Annual General Meeting, the company will operate around 40 hotels in Asia Pacific by 2020, which will more than quintuple the portfolio it had in 2010.