PUNTA CANA — Meliá Hotels International and Falcon’s Beyond have taken their partnership to a new level with the launch of Falcon’s Resorts by Meliá, billed as a new leisure and entertainment-based resort brand.

The first of the new resorts, Falcon’s Resort by Meliá-All Suites Punta Cana, will be a multi-phase transformation of two existing Meliá properties: Paradisus Grand Cana and The Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real.

The companies say the new brand will embody ‘resortainment’, a concept that will blend “premium resort amenities with extraordinary entertainment experiences in a way that’s casual  sophisticated fun for everyone,” including access to dining, shopping, and entertainment venues as part of a larger destination experience.

Cecil D. Magpuri, CEO of Falcon’s Beyond, says: “We’ve built more than a decade-long business relationship with Meliá, beginning with our  successful entertainment hospitality property in Mallorca, Spain. We are delighted now to be  bringing a further enhanced version of that model to Punta Cana by year-end.”

Gabriel Escarrer, Vice Chairman and CEO of Meliá, adds: “Our partnership with Falcon’s is a tremendous opportunity to offer a distinctly different vacation experience from our competitors by incorporating immersive and interactive  entertainment elements and technologies in the resort experience in ways it has never been done  before. We are thrilled to debut our first Falcon’s Resort by Meliá in Punta Cana, an exceptional location where we’ve been operating for over 30 years and have a robust network of resorts and loyal guest base.”

Overview of Falcon’s Resort by Meliá – All Suites Punta Cana

The first of the new resorts, Falcon’s Resort by Meliá | All Suites Punta Cana, will be a multi-phase transformation of two existing Meliá properties in the Dominican Republic, Paradisus Grand Cana and The Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real, comprising a total of 622 rooms.

Phase one, which is expected to open in December 2022 and begin accepting reservations in  October, will be an all-inclusive resort with multiple high-end bars and restaurants, pools, swim up suites, a water park, and a kids’ camp. Through the re-brand, the Paradisus Grand Cana resort  will receive enhancements to the facilities, amenities, and experiences across the property, and  will integrate a unique interactive platform that is expected to be announced soon.

Phase two, the  completion of the re-brand of The Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real, is expected in 2023.

Falcon’s Resort by Meliá | All Suites Punta Cana will be one of three components of a new multi-faceted US$350 million entertainment destination, Falcon’s Beyond Destination | Punta  Cana, the first Falcon’s Beyond Destination to debut.

The overall destination will also feature Katmandu Park | Punta Cana, a new theme park expected to open by late 2022 or early 2023, and Falcon’s Central | Punta Cana, a signature retail, dining, and entertainment district currently in development.

Katmandu Park, as the first world-class theme park in the Caribbean, will feature several patented ride technologies, interactive storytelling, and mega park-level attractions. Both Katmandu Park and Falcon’s Central will be directly  accessible to guests of Meliá’s network of area resorts and hotels, comprising 1,825 rooms,  as well as to guests of hotels in Punta Cana’s Bavaro region — an additional 42,000 rooms —  and 43,000+ local residents within a 30-minute drive.

As part of their partnership Meliá and Falcon’s will develop multiple Falcon’s Beyond Destination locations around the world in the coming years, including sites in Tenerife, Canary Islands, (scheduled to open in 2024), and, in Mexico, Playa Del Carmen (scheduled to open in 2025) and Puerto Vallarta (opening date TBD).