An investment of over 500 million euros in a five-star hotel with 169 rooms and 151 luxury homes, which will create 2,000 direct ... jobs and 4,500 indirect jobs during its construction, and more than 450 jobs once it becomes operational. These are the spectacular figures that sum up the hotel and branded residential development to be built in the Las Dunas area, in east Marbella. The figures have been put on the table following the signing of an agreement reached by Platinum Estates, a Hong Kong-based property investment group, and the Marbella-based developer Sierra Blanca Estates with Marriott International to bring this investment to fruition.
The hotel will be known as the St Regis Marbella Resort, while the residential area will be called The Residences at St Regis Marbella Resort. The agreement covers the entire development, and construction is expected to begin this year, with the opening scheduled for 2031. This will be the first Marriott hotel on the Costa del Sol to operate under its luxury St Regis brand.
Planned for a seafront plot of over 160,000 square metres in Marbella, the project will also feature amenities within a destination designed to operate all year round. The site offers over 350 metres of seafront, protected by a natural dune system (the Real de Zaragoza dune, which will be regenerated), which preserves its privacy and provides guests and owners with direct access to one of Marbella’s best-preserved stretches of beach.
The 151 residences will have between two and five bedrooms and range in size from 150 square metres to 1,000 square metres in certain unique units. Plans for the complex include several restaurants, a wellness centre, sports facilities, swimming pools and a beach club, all of which will be accessible to both hotel guests and residence owners. Homeowners will enjoy year-round access to the resort’s services and facilities, as well as the renowned rituals and exquisite offerings of the St. Regis brand.
Plans for the complex include several restaurants, a wellness centre, sports facilities, swimming pools and a beach club
“Las Dunas has been part of our vision for Marbella from day one. We have worked for years to secure the necessary conditions — land, planning permission and a local partner — to develop a project of this scale on the seafront, an asset that is virtually impossible to replicate in Marbella. The agreement with Marriott International is the missing piece that allows us to move on to the implementation phase,” explained Harry Mohinani, founder of Platinum Estates.
A new benchmark
For Sierra Blanca Estates, the property developer behind residential projects for other luxury brands such as Dolce&Gabbana, Karl Lagerfeld and Armani, this is more than just another project: "On a coastline where beachfront land ran out decades ago, securing a plot of this scale and quality is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The project represents a qualitative leap forward for the town’s offering: it places Marbella on a par with the world’s leading luxury capitals, meets the expectations of an increasingly discerning international clientele, establishes Marbella east as a new benchmark for the destination and sets the standard against which future developments on the Costa del Sol will be measured,” said Carlos Rodríguez, CEO of the Marbella-based property developer.
For his part, Jerome Briet, Marriott’s Director of Development for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has expressed his “conviction” that this “iconic” project “will set a new benchmark for hospitality and luxury living” in Marbella. He described it as “an extraordinary opportunity to expand our luxury portfolio to a truly exceptional seafront location” and in “one of Europe’s most sought-after luxury destinations” – namely the province’s second-largest municipality.
For the Mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, who attended the signing of the agreement, this is “a very important project” for the town, “not only because of its economic and tourism significance, but also because of the significant improvements it will bring in terms of infrastructure, transport and environmental restoration”.