Spanish group Melia has signed its second project in Honduras, as it looks to exploit the potential of tourism across central America.

Melia Roatan will be a spectacular oceanfront resort, due for construction on the island of Roatan for an opening in 2029. As well as the resort’s 350 rooms and suites, the project will also see the development of 145 branded residences. Plans are for a modern look, which will respond to the tropical surroundings, blending indoor and outside spaces with lush gardens and plentiful natural light. There will be wellness, spa and fitness facilities, while the resort will also have substantial meeting and events spaces, enabling it to cater for corporate events and get togethers.

A Second Resort on the Same Island

Melia Roatan joins the upcoming Sol Roatan, a hotel that Melia has already taken over, and which will launch with its new name shortly. The property was acquired in 2025 as Media Luna Resort & Beach Club, which joined the group as part of its Affiliated by Meliá brand. Local entrepreneur Piero Dibattista will be leading development of this new resort.

Melia notes that the region has great potential, as travellers increasingly seek out new destinations, with cultural authenticity and natural landscapes they can explore. As a result, the group is eyeing opportunities to add hotels and resorts across Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. All of the Melia brand portfolio will ultimately have representation in the region, from Melia Hotels & Resorts, to the Melia Collection, Sol and INNSIDE.

There is also an aspiration to bring the group’s new ZEL brand to the region, too. The brand, established by Melia jointly with Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal currently has four properties open, three in Spain and another in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic. Further ZEL hotels are on the way with a conversion planned in central Madrid, plus the brand’s first French site, in Paris.

Melia is already active in many markets across southern America, with the 110 room The Meliá Collection Palacio de la Pila scheduled to open in Lima, Peru during 2027. Also under construction is the INNSIDE by Melia Costa del Este, a hotel and residence project on the coast of Argentina, close to Buenos Aires.

Expansion in Argentina

On the southern tip of Argentina, the Gran Melia Ushuaia is under way, with the opening of the hotel planned for early 2028. The 200 room property will have a grand internal atrium, and an auditorium with capacity for 800 visitors. Around the same time, Melia Collection Terrazas del Gutierrez will launch, also in Argentina but much further north, in the Nahuel Huapi National Park and close to the border with Chile.

Later the same year, the group will bring the Melia brand to the western Argentinian city of Mendoza. The 140 room urban property is scheduled for a launch in autumn 2028. And in the same region, Melia Collection Valle de Uco will launch in 2029, as Melia builds its presence across Argentina.