THE DESTINATION OF PUNTA CANA IS VERY SPECIAL AS THIS IS WHERE OUR PARADISUS BY MELIÁ BRAND ORIGINATED . THE DEVELOPMENT OF FALCON ’ S RESORT BY MELIÁ WILL ADD A NEW LEVEL OF CASUAL , SOPHISTICATED AND UNEXPECTED FUN TO THE TRADITIONAL VACATION EXPERIENCE .
– ANDRÉ GERONDEAU
TRUE PARTNERSHIP The brand and entertainment destinations were a result of a decade-long relationship between Meliá and Falcon ’ s Beyond and the desire to transform and grow the Meliá brand with a partner .
“ Meliá Hotels and Katmandu Group originally came together in a 2012 joint venture to launch the themed Sol Katmandu Park & Resort in Mallorca , Spain , and complement the beach holiday experience by providing ‘ entertainment with rooms ,’” says Cecil Magpuri , CEO and co-founder of Falcon ’ s Beyond . “ This proof-of-concept became an award-winning property . Clearly , we were onto something special and , from it , we decided to elevate this unique , proven model of “ Big- Experience , Small-Footprint ” theme parks for Katmandu and other IPs around the world , leveraging the joint venture with Meliá .”
The partnership is a “ true 50- 50 joint venture ,” Magpuri adds , stating that Meliá brings in key properties in prime leisure markets to be transformed into Falcon ’ s Resorts by Meliá , while Falcon ’ s brings entertainment development and master planning experience and relationships with major IPs to incorporate unprecedented entertainment experiences .
Meliá , which has developed entertainment hospitality properties in Mallorca and Tenerife together with Falcon ’ s Beyond , will be bringing together the same model to Punta Cana .
“ The destination of Punta Cana is very special as this is where our Paradisus by Meliá brand originated . The development of Falcon ’ s Resort by Meliá will add a new level of casual , sophisticated and unexpected fun to the traditional vacation experience ,” says André Gerondeau , CEO , Meliá Hotels International .
The new global resort brand aims to offer a “ resortainment ” experience — a key differentiator that will set it apart from competitors — by bringing together premium resort services with entertainment services in a casual yet sophisticated manner . The partners hope to execute this by creating entertainment with rooms , rather than a resort with entertainment .
“ This is accomplished through our joint venture that marries Meliá ’ s 66 years of expertise in travel and hospitality with Falcon ’ s deep entertainment development and master planning experience , and relationships with significant IPs , to incorporate unprecedented entertainment experiences ,” Magpuri explains .
The debut project at Punta Cana will comprise three components with a US $ 350 million investment . The destination will begin with enhancements to what is now Paradisus Grand Cana to open as a Falcon ’ s Resort by Meliá this December .
The project will also include Katmandu Park | Punta Cana , a theme park that will open later this year or early 2023 , and Falcon ’ s Central | Punta Cana , a signature retail , entertainment and dining district currently under development . The Katmandu Park will comprise multiple patented and new technologies , interactive storytelling and mega-park-level attractions .
With the collective offering at the Punta Cana destination , Gerondeau expects guests to extend their stay at the resorts by two to three nights . “ For U . S . travelers , this means an increase from five to seven nights and , for Europeans , we anticipate an average of an 11-night stay .”
Falcon ’ s Central will connect guests with brands via curated location-based entertainment venues , amenities , content , experiences , restaurants , shopping and “ retailtainment .”
These retailtainment offerings will consist of several immersive shopping experiences , consumer products , storytelling through transformative media content and branded merchandise . The Punta
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