Torremolinos

Torremolinos recognises two hotels, a travel agency and a hotelier for World Tourism Day

The City Council has presented distinctions to the Hotel Meliá Costa del Sol and the Hotel Puente Real, which are celebrating 50 years, to Opentours, which is celebrating 60, and posthumously to businessman Antonio Cerdán Céspedes.

Redacción · Published on October 3, 2026 at 17:05

The Torremolinos City Council presented awards this Friday to two hotels, a travel agency and a hospitality businessman on the occasion of World Tourism Day. The awardees were the Hotel Meliá Costa del Sol and the Hotel Puente Real, which are celebrating their 50th anniversary, the company Opentours, which marks 60 years of activity, and the businessman Antonio Cerdán Céspedes, recognized posthumously.

Meliá Costa del Sol, half a century with sea views

The Hotel Meliá Costa del Sol opened in 1976. It has 540 rooms distributed across two buildings, all with a terrace and sea views. In May 2026 a comprehensive renovation was completed that renewed all of the rooms, following an earlier transformation that included a new façade, lobby and rooftops. According to the City Council, this latest renovation has also incorporated improvements in sustainability and technological innovation.

Puente Real, beachfront for 50 years

The Hotel Puente Real, located on the Paseo Marítimo of Torremolinos, also turns 50. As explained by the mayor, Margarita del Cid, the hotel was founded by Amadeo Sabat, who remains at the head of the establishment alongside his children Alejandro and Eva, and with Isabel Cívico as director for twelve years. The staff exceeds 150 professionals and the hotel has 473 rooms, with a focus especially linked to family tourism.

Opentours, 60 years since Viajes Benamar

The company, founded in 1966 by Antonio Martín under the name Viajes Benamar, marks six decades of activity this year. Its current CEO, Ángel Martín, son of the founder, has 45 years of experience at the company and led in the nineties the transformation of the receptive agency into the tour operator Opentours. The firm keeps its headquarters on the calle de la Cruz in Torremolinos and is celebrating the anniversary with professional meetings in Spain and Portugal, which in June had already brought together 1,200 professionals from the sector.

Antonio Cerdán, posthumous recognition

The City Council has also recognized, posthumously, the hospitality businessman Antonio Cerdán Céspedes, who for years was at the head of Casa Antonio, a restaurant in the Bajondillo founded by his father in 1951. Cerdán was councillor for Finance and Tourism between 1995 and 2007, a responsibility that, as highlighted by the mayor, he carried out "with dedication, a vocation for service and a firm commitment to Torremolinos".

Tourism sector data

During the event, Del Cid provided figures on tourism in the municipality. In August, Torremolinos once again led Andalusia in overnight stays, with more than 718,000, which means almost eight thousand more travellers than in August 2025, as noted by the mayor. Last year, according to the same municipal data, the tourism sector generated nearly eleven thousand direct jobs in Torremolinos, 7.6% of tourism employment in the entire province.