Ikos Andalusia celebrates the ceremony of the first stone in Estepona

Located in Estepona, this Resort will become the company’s first resort in the Iberian Peninsula and will offer the Ikos Infinite Lifestyle experience, a concept redefining the luxury all-inclusive offering around the Mediterranean, already recognized by TripAdvisor as the number 1 worldwide in the luxury All-Inclusive category.

Ikos Resorts, which announced in the first quarter of 2018 the acquisition of the current Costa del Sol Princess hotel in Estepona, will invest a total of 150 million euros in the reconstruction of the current building and its adaptation to the product and premium service standards of the resort chain. The objective of the company, which plans to finish the reconstruction in early March 2020, is to position Ikos Andalusia as a benchmark for excellence in the luxury all-inclusive resorts sector in Spain. Once the works are complete, the Resort will initiate a pre-opening period during April and will start welcoming clients in May 2020.The ceremony of the first stone, held today in the facilities of what will be Ikos Andalusia, has made it possible to publicize about Ikos Resorts’ expansion plans internationally, the details of the project and its positive impact on the region. The company estimates that the new Resort will generate 635 jobs in the region, 60% of which will be local jobs once the hotel opens its doors.

The event was attended by different representatives of the company at an international level - Andreas Andreadis, CEO of Sani/Ikos Group; Luis Herault, CEO of Ikos Iberia, as well as local and regional authorities, who wanted to support the presentation of a project that will constitute as a milestone in the tourism transformation process in the region.

Pilar Fernández–Figares, Deputy of Human Resources of the Málaga Provincial Council stated: “this substantial investment of Ikos Resorts in Estepona is an example of the leadership of Costa del Sol in tourism. It will attract other high-end investments and will allow Estepona to make an important leap forward, towards becoming one of the most relevant and important luxury tourist destinations”. The general director of the Turismo Costa del Sol, Arturo Bernal, was also present at the event.

For his part, José María Urbano, Mayor of Estepona, thanked Ikos Resorts for taking a chance on investing in Estepona, as it will expand the city’s touristic offer with a very prestigious and quality international brand. On another note, he has highlighted that this high-end resort demonstrates that Estepona is at the forefront of the sector and has turned into a city with capacity to attract great investments and interesting projects which combine with the special focus that Estepona City Council has had on the project ‘Estepona, Jardin Costa del Sol’. The strength of this city is supported by the safety and legal security that the City Council offers, together with the focus on quality and the offer of public services and respect towards the environment. “We are convinced that this new high-end resort will strengthen Estepona’s touristic brand in the international markets, while promoting employment and the revitalization of the economic sectors linked to tourism”, stated Mr. Urbano.

Dr. Andreas Andreadis, CEO of Sani/Ikos Group explained: “We are excited to introduce our unique luxury all-inclusive experience and the multi awarded Infinite Lifestyle concept to Spain. We are also delighted to be transforming the existing property into a world-class premium resort, adding further to the proven success story of Ikos Resorts, while investing further in beautiful Estepona and this magnificent region. By offering premium holiday experiences to international luxury travelers we aim to contribute in Estepona’s development as a top luxury tourism destination worldwide”.

On another note, Luis Herault, Chief Executive Officer of Ikos Iberia, commented: “With Ikos Andalusia, we will contribute to further develop Estepona as a high end destination by offering world class service excellence and individual unique Ikos touches such as the Dine-Out Service, which includes selected restaurants from the surrounding area in our offer to our guests, the Local Discovery complimentary drive around experience promoting interesting destination experiences, sourcing local produce, the Ikos Green initiatives and recruiting approx. 60% of the minimum of 650 jobs required, from the local community.”