Prime Minister Robert Abela, accompanied by the Minister for Tourism and Consumer Proection Clayton Bartolo, inaugurated the Mercure hotel in the heart of St Julian’s this morning.

With an investment of €13 million over a two-year period, the hotel is part of Accor Group, the largest hospitality company in Europe and the sixth largest globally.

Accor operates over 4,800 hotels in 100 countries, employing over 280,000 people.

Mercure consists of 113 rooms, a restaurant, a fitness room, a conference room, bar, and rooftop pool.

Prime Minister Abela said the investment is another show of trust in Malta. He thanked employees working in the hotel and in the hospitality industry for displaying resilience over the last difficult months, ensuring that the sector does not stagnate.

Minister Bartolo said the hotel opening is in line with the Government's vision for sustainable and diversified tourism.

“Investments like this generate confidence in these challenging times. It is a project that, during the pandemic, not only did not pull back but turned challenges into opportunities.”

General Manager Kurt Micallef said the hotel rooms vary from standard to superior suites, with a substantial number of rooms enjoying beautiful views of Spinola Bay.

He said that the Group employs 18 staff members and the managerial team is preparing to increase this figure once the country is back on the path of strong economic recovery.