Two hotels to go higher on Sliema’s Tower Road

The skyline along a section of Tower Road in Sliema is set to change significantly after two major hotels were granted permits to build upwards.

Plaza Regency Hotel has a permit to rise from eight to 12 storeys, while the Carlton Hotel has a permit to rise from eight to 15 storeys. Despite the difference in storeys, both hotels will be around 43 metres tall.

The developments will rise significantly above neighbouring properties along that stretch of the road.

Plaza Regency Hotel. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Plaza Regency Hotel, owned by the Arrigo Group, consists of two buildings, separated by St Francis Street, which are connected by a bridge. It was granted a permit in 2020 (PA/04827/16) to add five floors and two rooftop pools.

The permit also applies to another Arrigo Group building, which currently houses a few hotel rooms and will be extended to 12 storeys. A third-party seven-storey building separates this structure from the main hotel.

The expansion will add 92 rooms to the existing 211 rooms, totalling 303 rooms.

Drawings of the Plaza Regency Hotel expansion permit. Photo: Planning Authority

Since 2018, the applicants have made minor amendments to the permit, the most recent being at the end of 2024, which removed plans to construct a bridge connecting the two buildings on the 11th floor.

Earlier this year, the hotel filed a fresh application (PA/03591/25) to amend the original permit and expand parts of the building that were not included in the previous plans.

The latest proposed expansion would add an additional 18 guestrooms, bringing the total to 321 guestrooms. This application is yet to be reviewed by a Planning Authority case officer.

Carlton Hotel. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

The Carlton Hotel – on the same street as the Plaza Hotel but separated by a five-storey property – received a permit (PA/06825/21) in 2022 to demolish its existing eight-storey structure and replace it with a 15-storey building.

The full development will involve demolition and excavation works. The hotel will have a basement for ancillary facilities, a bar and breakfast area at ground floor, 72 suites and a rooftop pool.

Construction work has not begun yet.

Drawings of the Carlton Hotel. Photo: Planning Authority

Drawings from both projects show how the new buildings will tower over the surrounding areas, exposing blank party walls.

According to the local plan, the maximum building height on Tower Road is 35.5 metres. However, both hotels leveraged a PA policy that allows hotels to rise two floors above the maximum height limit in the area which allows both hotels to sit 43 metres tall.

They will not be the tallest buildings on the lengthy road. The Preluna Hotel, Malta’s first ever high-rise building, is just over a kilometre away and stands at 15 storeys. The Planning Authority recently approved another 15-storey edifice just a building away on the site previously occupied by the Astra Hotel.