The Costa del Sol is set to welcome back the prestigious Hilton hotel brand after a near 40-year absence. Hilton Worldwide struck a deal this March at the Spanish Embassy in Berlin to bring the brand to the Reserva de Higueron hotel near the resort of Benalmadena, bringing the iconic Hilton sign back to the coast for the first time since Marbella’s famous Don Carlos hotel was a Hilton-branded establishment in the ‘70s… Back then, Spain was a very different country, with international tourism in its infancy and the Costa del Sol still the exclusive reserve of the extremely wealthy. Today, as one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, the Costa del Sol is an obvious choice for any brand that wants to be associated with luxury and style, and with record-breaking numbers set to visit the resorts of the region this year, Hilton evidently felt that the time was right to re-invest in the area. The deal represents something of a coup for the Reserva de Higueron hotel, a stylish, four-star establishment nestled in the foothills of the Sierra de Mijas between the beaches of Fuengirola and Benalmadena. “When we opened 20 years ago we would never have believed we would end up working with Hilton,” said the hotel’s co-owner, Carlos Javier Rodriguez. Hilton’s plan is to turn the current spa complex into a leading health spa resort in Europe, with Hilton spokesperson Andreas Lackner adding that the chain is “delighted to be inviting its clients to the Costa del Sol once again”, pointing to the area’s excellent climate, infrastructure, history and gastronomy as reasons why the two are a perfect match. It is believed that the immediate locale near to the new Hilton will receive something of a property boost as homeowners clamour to be near to what will surely become one of the Costa del Sol’s most prestigious hotels. “This brand name is very important to our towns and resorts,” said Benalmadena Mayor Paloma Garcia Galvez. “It will help bolster our image as a top-quality tourist attraction.” Hilton’s only other presence in the region is the Hilton Garden hotel in the heart of Malaga city, but this latest deal will see the American chain return to the beach resorts of the Costa del Sol for the first time proper since Hilton waved goodbye to the Don Carlos all those years ago. Carlos Conde, representative of the Costa del Sol tourist board who witnessed the agreement in Berlin, added that the presence of a top-ranked Hilton hotel on the Costa del Sol could significantly boost the region’s profile across the lucrative American tourism market.