Gabriel Escarrer — Source: Melia

The ranking of the top 50 CEOs published every year by the prestigious Forbes magazine has named Gabriel Escarrer, Executive Vice President and CEO of Meliá Hotels International, in ninth position among the top executives in Spain in 2021. The year is described as a "year full of challenges" due to the difficulties in reactivating the economy after the pandemic and the need to adapt to living with the virus and to an extremely volatile business environment, with a succession of events and global challenges such as the supply-chain crisis, rising energy prices and geopolitical tension.

The only representative of the tourism industry (which contributes 12.4% of Spanish GDP) in the top 10 of the ranking, Forbes points out that Escarrer, at the head of the country's top hotel company, embodies the resilience of an industry which has been directly affected by the fear of the pandemic and travel restrictions, but which, however, has managed to emerge once again in 2021. The company saw a partial recovery from the third quarter of 2021 which it hopes will be consolidated in 2022. Despite the impact of the Omicron variant from November onwards, Meliá ended the year with a strong recovery in revenue. This was taken into account by the jury for the ranking, together with Meliá's strategic focus on digitalisation, sustainability and product quality, including a clear commitment to the superior and luxury hotel segments.

For Gabriel Escarrer, “being named in the top 10 of the Best CEOs in Spain 2021 is a huge honour, especially after such a complex year of transition and something similar to a rebirth that we have been through. Our satisfaction with this acknowledgement will undoubtedly spur us on to continue to ensure that the tourism industry leads the way out of the crisis in Spain, once again contributing its full potential to the country's economy and employment".

The list of the top 50 CEOs is decided by a jury consisting of 13 Spanish and international organisations which rates the management of a selection of large companies.​

About Melia Hotels International

Founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Meliá Hotels International has more than 400 hotels open or in the process of opening, in more than 40 countries, and a portfolio of ten brands: Gran Meliá Hotels & Resorts, ME by Meliá, The Meliá Collection, Paradisus by Meliá, Meliá Hotels & Resorts, ZEL, INNSiDE by Meliá, Falcon's Resorts by Meliá, Sol by Meliá, and Affiliated by Meliá. The Company is one of the world's leading hotel chains in the leisure segment and its experience in this area has allowed it to consolidate itself in the growing market of urban hotels inspired by leisure. Its commitment to responsible tourism has led it to be recognised as the world's most sustainable hotel in 2022 according to S&P Global's Corporate Sustainability Assessment, as well as being a "Top Employer 2023" brand in Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Italy and Germany. Meliá Hotels International is also part of the IBEX 35. For more information, please visit www.meliahotelsinternational.com