Alberto Lejarraga
THE construction of a brand new Four Seasons hotel on the Costa del Sol is edging closer.
The start of the project in Marbella is understood to begin this summer after a €650 million investment was pledged by local business magnate Ricardo Arranz.
The development in the Rio Real area is reported to be ‘creating up to 4,000 jobs’ during the construction period and around 770 permanent positions.
While the first stone of the project was laid almost five years ago by the Junta’s then President Susana Diaz, no further steps were taken.
However, according to La Razon, sufficient investment has now arrived to launch the project.
This week a source told the Olive Press that ‘things are inching forwards, but it is all very secretive’.
Four Seasons operates 119 hotels and resorts in 47 countries around the globe, with only one hotel so far in Spain, the breathtaking five-star establishment in central Madrid.
The second project will be far more ambitious being over 500,000 m2 in size with around one-kilometer of coastline.
The complex, designed by architect Richard Meier, will include a 165-room hotel, alongside 260 private residences and 40 luxury villas.
It is also expected to provide an exclusive gastronomical experience, with high-quality restaurants led by well-known chefs.
Key investor Arranz is the owner of upmarket five-star Anantana Villa Padierna Spa, where famous guests have included Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow.
A spokesman at Villa Padierna insisted the hotel had ‘no connection’ to the new hotel.
She declined to comment on the private affairs of Arranz.
