Hospitality, entertainment and lifestyle group Eden Leisure has teamed up with hospitality entrepreneur Mark Weingard to bring Anantara, a luxury hotel brand, to Malta, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Eden Leisure Group is owned by the De Cesare family, who have, together with Mr Weingard, submitted the highest bid to take over the Evans Building in Valletta. The concession is meant to see the renovation of the building into a top hospitality establishment, with the aim of attracting more tourism activity to the lower end of capital.

The parties involved have yet to confirm any details about the deal.

Eden Leisure is behind a number of brands like Eden Cinemas, Eden SuperBowl, Cynergi Gym, Eden Esports, a radio station (89.7 Bay), a casino (Casino Malta) and two hotels – the InterContinental Malta and the Holiday Inn Express.

Mr Weingard is the founder of Iniala Group, a group of hospitality companies with luxury offerings in Thailand and Malta.

The Thai connection might have been crucial to this deal – Anantara is a high-end hotel brand finding its beginnings in Thailand. It forms part of Minor Hotels, a company based in Thailand operating over 500 hotels around the world.

The joint venture, named Valletta Luxury Properties, put in a bid worth €78 million – far higher than the second-highest bid by Katari Hospitality Joint Venture, which came in at €41 million.

Last week, it was the Katari bid that was reported to be the highest.

However, it has since been reported that Valletta Luxury Properties’ bid was for the amount to be paid annually (€1.2 million). When calculated over the full term of the concession period (65 years), the total comes to €78 million.

Article credits: https://whoswho.mt/en/eden-leisure-and-mark-weingard-partner-up-to-bring-luxury-hotel-brand-anantara-to-malta

From today the 15th March 2023, ION Harbour in Valletta will welcome the internationally-renowned and multi award-winning chef Simon Rogan as Chef Patron, becoming ION Harbour by Simon Rogan. Rogan has a total of eight other restaurants to his name across the UK and Hong Kong, including L’Enclume in the Lake District which currently holds three Michelin stars, five AA Rosettes and is the number one listed restaurant in the Good Food Guide. In 2021, his efforts towards sustainability were also recognised with the newly introduced Michelin Green Star, awarded to both L’Enclume and Roganic Hong Kong.

Simon Rogan comments “When presented with the opportunity to take on ION Harbour, there was no question that this was the perfect spot for our next restaurant opening. My love for Malta, its history and climate, people and not least its ingredients and producers were all part of our decision to open ION Harbour by Simon Rogan, where we look forward to creating dishes that are inspired by our signature style whilst using the best of the Maltese larder.”

As one of the pioneers of the farm-to-table movement, British chef Simon Rogan’s menus are strongly guided by hyperlocal ingredients that are harvested, fished and foraged by the best and most sustainable local producers. Simon and his team have already begun exploring what the island has to offer and the menus at ION Harbour will utilise ingredients in their prime, so that each dish can champion the abundant produce found in the Maltese countryside and in the island’s Mediterranean waters.

To complement the menu, the sommelier team at ION Harbour has created both alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings. Like the menus, the unique drinks list highlights sustainable producers and lesser-known ingredients sourced from the island. In a bid to minimise waste, the bar team work with the chefs to utilise surplus ingredients from the kitchens that would usually go to waste, such as peels, stalks and stems.

ION Harbour, which was previously helmed by Chef Alex Dilling, is situated on the rooftop of 5 star luxury Hotel Iniala Harbour House and offers unrivalled views of the UNESCO Grand Harbour. The restaurant’s Front of House team will be led by restaurant manager, James Christie as well as assistant food & beverage director, Melissa Sambugaro. In the kitchen, executive chef Oli Marlow, who has amassed over six years working alongside Simon, will be joined by head chef Eoin Smith.

ION Harbour owner Mark Weingard quoted: “I am really looking forward to working with Simon Rogan and his team and undertaking this exciting journey together. I know that Simon, Oli and our chefs have created an amazing seasonal menu which celebrates our wealth of local farmers, fishermen, growers and producers.”

The Forbes Travel Guide has returned for another year, awarding the world’s best hotels, restaurants, spas and cruises. And as for the luxury hotel department, one Maltese destination nestled right in the capital managed to yet again win the highest possible honour: a five-star rating!

Malta had 10 hotels featured in the 2023 Forbes Travel Guide, with five making the Recommended List and another four being awarded Four Stars. But in the end, the top honour went to only one: Iniala Harbour House, overlooking Valletta’s Grand Harbour.

Last year, the luxurious boutique hotel became Malta’s first and only to receive the top rating, with everything from beautiful bedding and helpful housekeeping to memorable drinks and thoughtful guest room amenities being among the things taken into consideration.

More than 2,000 properties in 70 different countries are asseessed, with up to 900 standards being taken into consideration. “Only the best of the best achieve the coveted five-star, our highest rating,” Forbes Travel Guide editor Jennifer Kester had said back in April 2022.

With 23 rooms and a Michelin-star restaurant, Iniala Harbour House offers everything from private plunge pools and jacuzzis to fully-equipped kitchens… and it sure looks like it’s managed to retain the top honour it won just last year!

Meanwhile, the Corinthia Palace Hotel managed to retain its four stars from last year, while the Hyatt Regency was bumped up from the Recommended list to four stars. The Phoenicia and The Westin Dragonara Resort, meanwhile, debuted on the list with the impressive four-star rating.

With Michelin stars, superyachts and swish new hotels, a reinvigorated Valletta is ready for the tourists to return.

On the rooftop of Gracy’s, a new brasserie and member’s club in a baroque 16th-century palazzo, blazers, florals and linen are the order of the day. Rakish co-owner Greg Nasmyth, an English media scion turned philanthropist and Liberal Democrat donor, is doing the rounds, while Malta’s Eurovision star Destiny sings smooth Aretha Franklin covers as the sun sets behind the dome of Valletta’s St Paul’s Cathedral.

The narrow peninsula on Malta’s east coast is a place of romantic ancient buildings with olive-green gallarija balconies — becalmed after a tumultuous history of being tossed around between the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, French and British.

Spurred on by Valletta’s 2018 stint as European Capital of Culture, and splashy architecture projects such as Renzo Piano’s parliament and city gate, more than 40 boutique hotels are said to have opened in the past five years — like the eight-suite palazzo Casa Ellul and Cugo Gran Macina, a Design Hotels member opened in 2018 by German property developers the Von Der Heyden Group. Having had no Michelin stars until 2020, Malta now has five, including Under Grain, a slinky basement restaurant at Rosselli, another smart design hotel that opened near the Iniala in 2019.

Read the full article here: https://www.ft.com/content/64f9640b-f05a-4cb5-8bcb-457cc62dfb51?accessToken=–sanitized–&sharetype=gift%3Ftoken%3D–sanitized–&fbclid=IwAR1BVhq2x0emnjWQBnUH8wvDbYFcSdXddpfXPxwZUtM66dJ-6yKH_syTWRU

Nestled on the imposing St Barbara Bastions in Valletta, this project, that took 7 years to come to life is Fabulously designed and decorated and its suites boast imposing Grand Harbour Views.

Each suite is uniquely finished to the highest of standards, whilst Ion – The Harbour restaurant offers bespoke breakfast or dinner cuisine surrounded by world-class design and unrivalled views of the Grand Harbour.

When we met Mark he confidently told us that this project will be the ‘Top Luxury Experience in Malta but also a home away from home.’

We wish this Group the best of luck and we hope to work with their professional staff in the very near future.

To learn more about Iniala Group and its philanthropy click on : https://www.inialagroup.com/

This week’s journey took us to the bastion walls of Valletta to meet Mark Weingard, founder of Iniala Group.

Mark explained to us the concept of this amazing project, the inspiration and the results he’d like to achieve once the hotel opens its doors. Mark is full of energy and excitement as he talks about his project, now near completion after 7 years in the making.

Fabulously designed and decorated suites boasting imposing Grand Harbour Views, each uniquely finished to the highest of standards, a restaurant with the most scenic views and exquisite cuisine and a spa to relax in, all in the Capital City!

Mark goes on to say that this project will be the Top Luxury Experience in Malta but also a home away from home!

We can’t wait to experience the luxury of this new property, which opened its doors in mid October.

To learn more about Iniala Group and its philanthropy click on : https://www.inialagroup.com/