Hard Rock Senior VP John Rees: ‘We are excited to bring our hospitality offering to Malta’

The foundation stone for the 394-room Hard Rock Hotel Malta was laid on Thursday (yesterday) with a ceremony that saw Hard Rock International’s Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations John Rees express his excitement for the project.

“We are excited to work with DB Group to bring Hard Rock’s hospitality and entertainment offerings to the beautiful island country of Malta,” he said.

Mr Rees added that the development is expected “to enhance Malta’s tourism industry by appealing to the modern traveler.”

The hotel forms part of a mixed-use development attracting an investment of around €300 million, with two towers of exclusive apartments and a large mall.

The five-star Hard Rock Hotel Malta will feature 394 rooms, most with balconies overlooking the Mediterranean, and 25 suites with a private pool. The hotel integrates the architecture of the original 1860 British military accommodation quarters.

It will feature private and public pools, a full-service Rock Spa®, and a Body Rock® fitness centre set to be among Malta’s largest.

DB Group Chairman Silvio Debono said: “Our vision is quite unique. We want people to come here and go wherever their imagination takes them. They can live here, stay at the Hard Rock Hotel for incredible service, dine at any of our 12 restaurants, swim, shop at Malta’s best high-end mall, go to the beach lido, gym, spa, take a seaside walk, feast their eyes on the vertical gardens covering our two residential towers and much more.”

He added that the project “will not be a place. It will be a destination.”

Prime Minister Robert Abela emphasised that the project “exemplifies the confidence that Malta’s esteemed investors have in the nation’s economy and tourism sector.”

He continued: “As we look to the future, our focus is on attracting high-yield travellers while enriching the very essence of our tourism industry.”

Planned to be inaugurated in early 2026, this development will join Hard Rock International’s portfolio of European accommodations including Hard Rock Hotel Madrid and REVERB by Hard Rock Hamburg, resort hotels in Davos, Ibiza, Marbella, and Tenerife, and the ongoing development of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Athens.