Spain-based hotel operator Sol Meliá has confirmed that it will be opening its first Tanzania property on the island of Zanzibar in August.

The Meliá Zanzibar resort was previously run by the Kempinski chain and will now join the Meliá Hotels and Resorts portfolio under a management agreement. In addition to 100 rooms, the resort will offer seven villas with private pools and a solarium. Facilities will also include a spa, a beauty and fitness centre, tennis courts and swimming pools.

Meliá Zanzibar will expand the operator's presence in Africa to six properties, adding to the four locations in Egypt and the recently-opened Meliá Tortuga in Cabo Verde. A Sol Meliá spokesperson said: "91 per cent of the hotels pending incorporation are located outside of Spain, in line with the strategy of geographical product diversification and opening new markets."