Meliá Llana and Meliá Dunas to compete for Cape Verde’s Leading Resort at World Travel Awards 2025
Two resorts within The Resort Group Plc’s portfolio, Meliá Llana Beach Resort & Spa and Meliá Dunas Beach Resort & Spa, will compete for the title of Cape Verde’s Leading Resort 2025 at this year’s World Travel Awards.
The nominations will place the two Sal resorts alongside Hotel Riu Cabo Verde, TUI BLUE Cabo Verde, VOI Praia de Chaves Resort and Hilton Cabo Verde Sal Resort in a competitive field representing some of the destination’s best-known hospitality brands.
With the winner still to be announced, attention will turn to the qualities that distinguish each resort and the experiences they offer visitors.
For The Resort Group Plc, the nominations will provide an opportunity to showcase two contrasting holiday experiences within its Sal portfolio. They will also bring further attention to Cape Verde as a destination where internationally recognised hotel brands operate alongside the islands’ distinctive culture, coastal scenery and welcoming communities.
Two resorts, two distinctive experiences
Meliá Dunas and Meliá Llana will enter the awards with their own identities, while sharing a connection through The Resort Group Plc’s partnership with Meliá Hotels International.
Meliá Dunas opened in November 2014 as The Resort Group’s second project in Cape Verde. With more than 1,200 rooms, the development established a substantial presence on Sal’s beachfront and helped expand the island’s resort accommodation offering. Its scale will remain an important part of its appeal, bringing together accommodation and leisure facilities within a sizeable resort setting.
Meliá Llana will bring another established name from the Group’s portfolio to the competition. Together, the two nominees will demonstrate the breadth of The Resort Group’s relationship with Meliá, which also includes management agreements covering parts of Meliá Tortuga Beach Resort on Sal. The nominations in this particular category will apply to Llana and Dunas.
The coming awards will offer both resort teams a platform to highlight the service, care and attention that contribute to a memorable stay. From arrival through to departure, the guest experience will depend on the work of people across reception, housekeeping, food and beverage, maintenance and resort management.
Lisa Kellett, Chief of Staff for The Resort Group Plc, said:
“We will be proud to see Meliá Llana and Meliá Dunas represent our portfolio in the competition for Cape Verde’s Leading Resort 2025. These nominations will give us an opportunity to celebrate the dedication of our resort teams and the destination they help bring to life for our guests.
“Our focus will remain on delivering memorable holidays, supporting our people and caring for the environment that makes Sal so special. Through our partnership with Meliá Hotels International, we will continue to pursue hospitality that combines a high-quality visitor experience with a commitment to responsible tourism.
“We will look forward to the awards with enthusiasm and will use this recognition as further motivation to keep improving.”
Responsible tourism will remain central
As the awards approach, The Resort Group Plc will continue to place sustainable tourism alongside service and hospitality in its priorities.
The Group’s partnership with Meliá will support that ambition. In its February 2025 results announcement, Meliá Hotels International highlighted its recognition as Europe’s most sustainable hotelier and its leadership of the hotel sector in S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook 2025. That international recognition will provide valuable context for the Group’s relationship with a hotel operator whose strategy encompasses environmental, social and governance responsibilities.
The Group will also be able to draw on its own documented sustainability history. In 2017, it announced Travelife Gold certification for Meliá Dunas and Meliá Tortuga, following assessment against 163 sustainability criteria. The assessment covered issues including energy, water and waste, employee welfare, community relationships, child protection and human rights.
These priorities will continue to matter for a destination whose appeal depends on the quality of its natural surroundings and the strength of its communities. Responsible resort management will require attention to resources, people and the wider visitor experience throughout the year.
Looking ahead to the result
With six contenders in the field, the competition for Cape Verde’s Leading Resort 2025 will bring together a broad range of hospitality experiences.
For Meliá Llana and Meliá Dunas, the months ahead will provide an opportunity to build on their nominations while maintaining their attention on guests. The Resort Group Plc will look forward to the announcement and will continue working with its hotel partner and resort teams to strengthen the appeal of its Sal portfolio.
Whatever the eventual result, the nominations will offer a moment to recognise the people behind both resorts and to share their contribution to Cape Verde’s tourism story with a wider audience.