Gabriel Escarrer Juliá, founder of Meliá Hotels International, passes away at 89

The world of hospitality and tourism is mourning the loss of Mr. Gabriel Escarrer Juliá, honorary chairman and founder of Meliá Hotels International, who passed away early Tuesday morning (Nov. 26).  He was 89.

A company statement was issued Wednesday (Nov. 27), announcing the news.

“Throughout his life, he has been a great example of passion, tenacity and entrepreneurial vision, since he founded the company we know today as Meliá Hotels International in Majorca at the age of 21, which he would later promote throughout his life to the highest levels of the global hotel industry,” the company wrote.

Gabriel Escarrer Juliá presided the company for more than six decades, until handing over the baton to his son Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, current Chairman and CEO, complying with a succession plan that was approved by the family and the Board of Directors in 2016.

Over the course of his career, Escarrer received the highest awards granted by his country and his homeland, the Balearic Islands, such as the Doctorate Honoris Causa by the University of the Balearic Islands or the Gold Medal of the Community.

In his later years, he was appointed Ambassador of the Spain brand and received the Kingdom of Spain Award for Business Excellence, as well as the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sanchez and Mella of the Dominican Republic and the Cuban Order of Solidarity, among many other merits.

In addition to his business achievements, Escarrer Juliá “was a man with deep beliefs, who founded a large family, with six children and twenty grandchildren who today mourn his loss,” the company wrote.

He was also loved and respected by a large group of employees (more than 40,000 today), who, for decades, have worked at Meliá properties around the world.

“Escarrer Juliá leaves us a great business and human legacy, due to the values he always instilled in his team,” the company wrote.

He was also pioneer in opening up destinations, such as the Mexican-Caribbean, Bali and Cuba. “He anticipated the power of tourism to bring countries together and promote the social and economic development of destinations, being a forerunner of what we know today as ‘Responsible Tourism,’” the company said.

As Meliá celebrates the life of Gabriel Escarrer Juliá, it thanks all of its partners, owners, customers, suppliers, institutions, competitors and friends for “the affection and sincere condolences they have expressed to us.”

The company asserts that it will continue to honour the legacy of its founder and watch over the present and future “of what was the great work of his life, together with his family: Meliá Hotels International.”

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