MALTA’S FIRST AIRPORT HOTEL
Malta’s first airport hotel will open next year.
Malta is set to have its first airport hotel next year, and the CEO of SkyParks expects it will be very popular among business travelers.
It will feature 98 rooms, indoor and outdoor pools (including one on the rooftop), wellness facilities, a restaurant, and meeting rooms spread across nine floors.
“This hotel is really exciting for me,” said Thomas Abela Gatt. “We’ve never had an airport hotel before, so this is clearly a very significant milestone for the country.”
Prices will range from €110 to €200 per night depending on various factors, and the four-star hotel is mainly aimed at business clients.
It will be managed by the Claret Group under the Tribe brand, owned by the French hotel chain Accor.
SkyParks is prioritizing the development of the hotel, which it plans to deliver to the operator in shell form in the last quarter of this year, before moving on to the construction of two office blocks—together with the hotel known as SkyParks 2—at a later stage.
Like the hotel, the new office buildings are also expected to open in the last quarter of next year.
Describing the hotel chain as a “lifestyle brand” with “design finishes at affordable prices,” he said he expects the hotel to be highly successful.
“I used to work in terminal operations and this was a real issue; people would even sleep at the airport,” he said.
Abela Gatt highlighted the “unobstructed 180-degree panoramic view” of the airport and surrounding areas.
He said the hotel will offer a fantastic experience.
He also mentioned the rooftop pool and cocktail bar.
“The target is the business traveler; they will find a quiet space to work, a carefully designed room… And if they need to relax, the necessary amenities are also available within the building.”
The hotel will have a limited number of parking spaces, and Abela Gatt noted that most business travelers will likely rely on ride-hailing services rather than renting a car during their stay in Malta.
Office spaces
To support the increased commercial functionality of the entire complex, an additional 500 underground parking spaces will be available, adding to the 200 already present at SkyParks 1.
The two new office buildings will provide 20,000 square meters of new office space, capable of accommodating around 2,000 employees, Abela Gatt said.
In addition to offices, the buildings are also expected to host retail spaces complementing the existing offering at the SkyParks 1 office complex.
“We will add what we currently don’t have: a hairdresser, a beautician, a minimarket with takeaway products,” along with more cafés and new food and beverage concepts, he said.
SkyParks also plans to expand its coworking spaces, which, as Abela Gatt noted, are becoming increasingly popular across Europe, with 300 square meters of meeting rooms and individual workstations.
But given that Malta has experienced an oversupply of office space and falling rents in recent years, how confident is he that there will be demand for an expanded business hub?
“We conducted market research and compared rates across the island, but we believe we are unique because we offer certain advantages: we are close to the airport… we have many resources and can provide a complete solution,” he said.
Abela Gatt pointed to the nursery and gym as two examples of additional services available at SkyParks.
“We already have a waiting list of eight tenants, and we also have tenants already based at SkyParks 1 who want to relocate.”
While he hinted that SkyParks might be open to shorter leases for tenants requiring smaller spaces, the company requires a minimum lease commitment of five years, with three years fixed and two years subject to a two-year notice period in case of termination.
(Source: timesofmalta.com)
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