The historic Maċina in Senglea, former headquarters of the Labour Party, is being converted into a Cugó Gran hotel

The historic water's edge building was originally built by the knights in 1554 and used for the hoisting and lowering of masts onto ships.

Maċina is derived from macchina, the large sheer crane structure used to hoist and lower the masts and other cargo, which was eventually dismantled in 1864. 

A section of the view from the new hotel.

The building started being used as Labour headquarters in the 1970s until the mid-1990s when the current headquarters in Hamrun was built. The government-owned building has been largely disused since.  

Cugó Gran – Maċina Hotel is due to open its doors this summer under the management of IBB Hotel Collection. IBB operates 10 hotels across Europe and forms part of the Von der Heyden Group, which has over 25 years of expertise in various leisure and real estate projects.

The new hotel will feature 21 suites ranging from 40 square metres to 130 square metres, all having unobstructed views of the Grand Harbour and the surrounding marina. 

"The design juxtaposes what is truly old and of historic value from the new, blending natural and traditional materials with modern clean lines. With large communal spaces, high vaulted ceilings and ample natural light, a minimalistic design was enough to create a luxury environment," IBB said. 

The hotel will also offer guests a swimming pool, tucked discreetly on the rooftop of the annex building with a terrace overlooking the picturesque view of Vittoriosa and Cospicua.

The hotel will also offer a bistro, bar and cafeteria, as well as a board room for small conferences. The rooftop terrace has been converted to accommodate events for up to 1,000 guests, overlooking the Three Cities with views extending as far as Valletta.