Founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Sol Meliá is now the largest resort hotel chain and the 15th largest hotel company in the world, with more than 300 hotels in 30 countries on four continents, and a workforce of more than 33,000 people. This spectacular performance is due to the innovative spirit and forward-looking approach of the company's founder, Mr. Gabriel Escarrer Juliá, currently immersed in a transition process to hand over the reins of the company to his two sons, Gabriel and Sebastián Escarrer Jaume.

Sebastián Escarrer is scheduled to succeed his father and assume the non-executive chairmanship of the company, having already assumed the leadership of the new Institutional and Corporate Diplomacy Office, created to deal bring an integrated and innovative approach to external relationships, the management of company reputation, and its influence amongst Sol Meliá stakeholders.

As Chairman and member of the Executive Committees of several Spanish & international Associations, Institutions and Foundations such as Exceltur, Wharton University - EMEA, the International Chamber of Commerce or Euro-Hypo & Pictet, amongst others, Sebastián Escarrer has become one of Spain's most influential businessleaders, and has also been named the "Spanish business leader that generates greatest confidence" in the "Barometer of Corporate Confidence", in a difficult economic context for industry and business.

Sol Meliá has always placed great emphasis on the diversification of its hotel products and services within the framework of its 8 major brands: Gran Meliá, Meliá, ME, Innside, Tryp, Sol, Paradisus and Sol Meliá Vacation Club. The company is also highly committed to Sustainable Tourism, of which Sebastian Escarrer is a devoted ambassador. The most recent achievement in this area was company certification as the first "Biosphere Hotel Company" in the world through the Responsible Tourism Institute.

In 2009, Sol Meliá added 20 new hotels to its portfolio, amongst them the Gran Meliá Shanghai which became Sol Meliá's first hotel in China, and its development plan aims to maintain growth while ensuring consistency with the company's brand equity, with its positive performance during the crisis allowing the company to enhance its strategic strength and improve its hotel portfolio at all levels within ascenario of future economic recovery.