Nearly a year and a half after opening, the ME Malta is seeing new travel patterns emerge from its affluent guests that have fueled adjustments to its service delivery.
Designed by architect Zaha Hadid as part of the Mercury Towers development, the five-star Melia Hotels International property is in St. Julian's, a seaside town on the Malta’s northeastern coastline, and a few miles west of the capital city of Valletta.
Note: The Mercury Towers development is primarily a residential facility which has a luxury brand shopping mall (think high-end shops, bars and restaurants) with an open piazza. The ME Malta is set across 20 floors of the facility, with 113 rooms, 27 suites and 35 residences.
“We have noticed shorter stays that necessitate a more curated and bespoke approach by our team,” Neal Debono, general manager of the hotel tells World of Luxury. “Many guests come with the expectation of having unique experiences and exclusive access to have deeper cultural connections with the islands and its people.’
Debono, who has held leadership positions in Malta’s luxury hotel industry for 20 years, says that the ME Malta’s guest experience and concierge teams have had to adjust to this dynamic, and while it’s not always easy to coordinate bespoke arrangements for leisure guests, that’s really the highlight of their jobs.
“Luckily Malta has a lot to offer by means of culture and heritage and the hotel is situated in the heart of the restaurant and nightlife of the island,” says Debono. He sees guests using the property as a base to travel around the island to immerse themselves in the culture, then returning to the ME Melia for a dining experience within walking distance.
Hotel management also provides access to Malta’s local scene through programs with local winemakers and craftsman.
Being part of Mercury Towers also provides exclusive booking availability in some of Malta’s leading dining experiences, including the odd last minute Saturday night booking.
Even though Debono sees luxury travelers booking shorter stays, they are investing more financial resources. This is particularly true for the North American market, which views Malta as a warm and safe destination. (Malta's latitude is about the same as Los Angeles’, which provides it with temperate, dry weather all year; it’s known particularly for its sunny, beach-friendly weather in the summer.)
In fact, the North American market tends to spend twice the amount of Malta’s European feeder markets when it comes to accommodations and transfers.
There are other changes to luxury travel patterns. Guests are traveling with extended family units and friends, and they’re bringing their pets with them (the hotel is pet friendly). Debono says that the residences within the hotel work well for these larger groups, providing an apartment-like setting with kitchens and laundry facilities. Alternately, groups taking six to eight rooms can at times take over an entire hotel floor exclusively (configuration allowing).
When we caught up with Debono he was heading to the United States for the Visit Malta Luxury Roadshow to promote the destination and the hotel to travel advisors. He reiterated the importance of the U.S. market which has regular flights from the major airlines (of note is Delta Air Lines’ nonstop flight from New York’s JFK to Malta June 7 through October 23).
“The U.S. market is essential to the ME Malta hotel, and we are always excited to see that the hotel manages to be handpicked by luxury consortia,” he says, noting that the property also works with USTOA and American Express’ Fine Hotels + Resorts program and that gives it a strong reach in a big market.
“Commissions to play within the North American market tend to be higher than other markets, but I feel the American client brings better overall value to the hotel. It is always a pleasure to be of service to a guest that is interested in our beautiful Maltese heritage and in experiencing new things,” says Debono.
All told, this general manager is pleased with his journey thus far with the luxury hotel that’s been open for just over a year. Perhaps that’s partly because it brings him up close with Malta’s natural beauty.
We asked him if he has a favorite area of the hotel he likes to visit for a quiet moment and he told us this: “There is something special about Maltese sunsets and enjoying them from the top floor of the hotel at the Radio Rooftop outlet during our ‘Sunset Ritual ‘for our guests. We celebrate sundown together over a glass of wine and a curated music experience. Although the experience is enjoyed by many, I feel a lot of inner peace and comfort throughout the activity and our guests seem to absolutely love it,” Debono tells World of Luxury.