Malta’s db Group lays foundation stone for Hard Rock Hotel at St George’s Bay

The Malta-based db Group and Hard Rock International laid the foundation stone for the Hard Rock Hotel at St George’s Bay, part of a mixed-use multi-million-euro project.

The five-star hotel will have 394 rooms and will rise to 12 floors on the site of the former tourism school. The hotel will integrate the architecture of the historic British military accommodation quarters that had been turned into the school. The hotel is planned to be inaugurated in early 2026.

A render produced by the developers of how the db Group project in St George's Bay will look

The overall project with an investment of €300 million also includes two residential towers, a massive mall, a 1,300sq.m supermarket, a beach lido on St George’s Bay and 1,300 parking spaces.

The db Group said it will be investing €250 million with an additional €50 million being put in by partners and clients. It said the project will create several hundred new jobs with different specialisations.

The ceremony marking the laying of the hotel’s foundation stone was attended by Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition leader Bernard Grech.

Opposition leader Bernard Grech was also invited for the unveiling ceremony (Photo: db Group)

The db Group was the only bidder when the government had issued a controversial request for proposals for the development of the former Institute for Tourism Studies site in 2015.

In April this year, the court rejected a request by NGOs for a retrial of the case in which they had sought the cancellation of the planning permit for the project, which effectively meant it could go ahead.

Silvio Debono, chairperson db Group, told guests the project will “not be a place but a destination”.

“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 said.

John Rees, senior vice president of hotel operations, Hard Rock International, said the development is expected to enhance Malta’s tourism industry by appealing to “the modern traveller”.

The Prime Minister said the project exemplified the confidence Maltese investors had in the country’s economy and tourism sector.

“As we look to the future, our focus is on attracting high-yield travellers while enriching the very essence of our tourism industry,” Robert Abela said, adding tourism is a vital industry that drives social progress. “Tourism serves as a cornerstone for the sustainable development of our nation,” he said.

The Malta Hard Rock Hotel will join the international company’s portfolio of European accommodations including hotels in Madrid and Hamburg, and resort hotels in Davos, Ibiza, Marbella, and Tenerife.