Sol Melia Set to Enter Aruba Market with Refurbishment of Bushiri Beach Hotel

Spain’s Sol Melia Hotels & Resorts will enter the Aruba market with the purchase and renovation of the former Bushiri Beach Hotel, which has been closed for some time.

The hotel facility will include a casino, a spa, a beach club and several restaurants and will comprise part of a larger government-sponsored development that will feature a marina and a shopping complex near the capital of Oranjestad.

The resort is scheduled to open in late 2008, according to company officials. While Sol Melia is an all-inclusive hotel chain, the Aruba property plans to offer a combination of meal plans to its guests.

Sol Melia’s brands include Paradisus, which operates in Central America and the Caribbean; ME by Melia, with properties in Spain and Mexico; Sol Hotels, with properties in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and South America; Tryp Hotels, with properties in Europe and Central and South America; Melia Hotels (Melia, Grand Melia and Melia Boutique), with properties in Europe, Asia and Central and South America.