Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1202928
23.01.2020 4 NEWS Malta Marriott Hotel & Spa welcomes first guests MALTA Marriott Hotel & Spa start- ed welcoming its first guests this week following an extensive 15-month reno- vation program, with an investment of €30 million. e newly, contemporary designed hotel, that now includes 25 Club Rooms, 29 Suites and a 150 square-metre Pres- idential Suite with views of the iconic Balluta Bay, is positioned to be a leading hotel choice for business travellers and leisure guests. Malta Marriott Hotel & Spa general manager Alex Incorvaja said that fol- lowing this extensive upgrade, he was thrilled to see the hotel reposition itself as one of the leading 5-star hotels on the Islands, and one of Malta's newest tour- ism projects. He said: "By being part of Marriott International's leading global travel loyalty program Bonvoy, the hotel and Malta, will be exposed on an incredible worldwide platform, accessible to over 130 million members." Also boasting renovated indoor and outdoor pools, a fully equipped Spa & fitness centre, and dedicated conference and banqueting facilities, the Malta Marriott will also feature the M Club, a brand standard lounge which provides the ideal space to work, recharge, con- nect and relax for tomorrow's guests. e hotel has five restaurants and three bars, including its signature res- taurant Taro housed at e Villa, a 19th century palazzo adjacent to the hotel's grounds, overlooking the bay. Elizabeth Lane, partner at RPW De- sign, one of the world's leading interior design hospitality consultancies, de- scribed the project as "local, authentic, sophisticated". Entrusted with the job to combine beautiful interiors with functionality at the Malta Marriott Hotel & Spa, Ms Lane said it was a privilege to work with the local team on the renovation and re- branding of the hotel. "Inspired by the heritage of Balluta Bay, we have woven the traditional crafts of Malta throughout the design in a con- temporary way. Giving the hotel a real sense of place while looking to the fu- ture, making it one of Marriott's first new-generation renovations. It will be an ideal destination for business or leisure or a combination of both," Lane said. BILATERAL trade between Spain and Malta - though relatively small - re- mains stable at around €500 million, the president of the Maltese Spanish Cham- ber of Commerce said this week. "Spanish exports to Malta increased by about 0.2% and are now at around €400m, + 0.2%) whereas Maltese exports to Spain increased by 78% to €109m and consisted mainly of fuels, lubricants and pharmaceutical products," Agustin Sil- va said, addressing a networking event organised by the Chamber held at Ex- press Trailers, one of its members. e event was presided by Spanish Ambas- sador Consuelo Femenia. Transport was the main theme of this networking event which was spon- sored by Reganosa. During this event held at Express Trailers' e Logic training centre, three industry leaders discussed the transport of data, the transport of people and the transport of goods. Macarena Linaza from KPMG focused on Blockchain and how this technolo- gy works. She gave an overview of the relatively new legal framework with a comparison of the status of Blockchain in various European countries. Daniel Grech from Malta Public Transport explained the operation of the bus company which is a fully owned subsidiary of Spanish company Auto- buses de Leon. He shared an insight into the growing number of passengers, the renewal of the fleet of buses, as well as the sophisticated technology used by the company to run the bus system in Malta. David Fleri Soler, Head of Sales and Business Development of Express Trail- ers, discussed the company's logis- tics setup which allows it to service all those doing business between Malta and Spain, highlighting Express Trail- ers' fast weekly overland trailer service to and from Spain as well as a container sea freight service. Fleri Soler also announced that the company was now serving Spanish cus- tomers who need to transport goods to other countries such as Cyprus, via Malta. MSCC hosts transport networking event at Express Trailers