Laurence Dollimore
A LUXURY hotel in Marbella has been given final approval by the Junta de Andalucia.
The €350m plan by Platinum Estates had been set to become the first W Hotel on the Costa del Sol.
READ MORE: Watch: Malaga local says ‘Airbnb ruined my life’ as he blasts ‘drunk tourists’
However the luxury category of the hotel ‘has been raised’, meaning it will eventually operate as a St. Regis or Ritz-Carlton, reports El Confidencial.
Under the updated proposal (artist’s rendition pictured above), two apartment blocks featuring tourist apartments have been removed, as have a number of rooms.
It is not known if the growing backlash against Airbnb-style homes was behind the decision, although costs may have been a factor.
The permission for the hotel, originally known as the Las Dunas Club project, has been delayed eight years.
The five-star hotel will feature 186 rooms and a further 180 branded homes.
Construction is estimated to take around 36 months, meaning it will open some time in 2028.
The orginal budget of €300m has risen to €350m due to the delays.
Platinum Estates explained to Cinco Dias that ‘construction costs are not the same as eight years ago and the change to a higher brand of the hotel will force them to assume that difference’.
