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April 6- Kingdom Holding Co’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has said that the Qatari Diar has paid SAR3.2 billion ($847 million) to acquire a 40 per cent stake in Fairmont Raffles Holdings International, a subsidiary of the prince's company. The money will be used to finance most projects of Fairmont Raffles. “The investment underlines the strength of FRHI's [Fairmont Raffles] brands and management capabilities and…
April 5- Coral International Cape Town has partnered with XL Travel Group, an alliance that is expected to generate extensive returns for Coral International and position it as a preferred hotel throughout the Dubai based hospitality group’s network. XL Travel Group, which recently opened a five star hotel in Cape Town, South Africa, generates annual sales worth $170 million (Dh623.9m). XL Travel Group is spread…
April 5- Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building has reopened to visitors after being closed for two months because of maintenance work. The observation deck on the 124th floor opened on Saturday to visitors, said a staff member. Emaar Properties, the company behind the building, closed the observation deck in February just weeks after its opening. Burj Khalifa, previously known as Burj Dubai,…
April 5- Two Hyatt-branded luxury properties, Hyatt at Capital Centre and Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, will open in Abu Dhabi within the next 12 months as part of Hyatt Hotels & Resorts’ commitment to provide guests with distinctive accommodation in key destinations, said Peter Fulton, Managing Director, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts for South-west Asia. "As a leader in authentic hospitality, Hyatt eagerly looks forward to the…
April 5- Several investors in the UAE who are involved in luxury hotel projects are planning to convert them into budget hotels, it was learnt on Sunday. In fact, many analysts expect that the mid-segment hotel market will grow in the coming months since it is a virtually untapped market. "Only about 20 per cent of the total hotels in the region are budget, so there is a huge growth opportunity," said Arnaud…
April 5- The world’s tallest building in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa, has installed solar panels to heat 140,000 litres of water for its residents. The panels will save 3,200KWs of energy per day and 690MWh of energy per annum. “The thermal energy initiative at Burj Khalifa highlights Emaar’s commitment to partner in the government’s sustainable development goals,” said Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director, Emaar…
April 4- Sheikh Abdullah bin Salim Al Qasimi, deputy ruler of Sharjah, and Sheikh Sultan bin Abdullah of Emco have signed an agreement to build a 343-room hotel along Al Khan beach in Sharjah at a cost of Dh650 million. The signing ceremony was held at Sharjah Shooting and Golf Club while the project itself will be completed within 30 months. The hotel will have eight floors with the top floor reserved for…
April 4- Omran, the tourism and development department of the Government of Oman, has signed a management agreement with Millennium Hotels and Resorts to manage the under-construction four-star hotel at the site of the Asian Beach Games, Muscat 2010. The agreement was signed by Dr Rajiha bint Abdul Ameer bin Ali, Minister of Tourism, and Chairperson of Omran, and Ali H. Lakhraim, President and CEO, Millennium…
April 3- A branch of Istithmar, the overseas investment arm of Dubai World, has asked the courts to intervene after last week's bankruptcy filing by the owners of the W Union Square Hotel. The unit, called Union Square Real Holding Corp, said that the bankrupt lender/hotel owner group threatened to file a voluntary bankruptcy petition for the W Hotel as well but do not have the authority to do so. Hotels Union…
April 2- Armani Hotels & Resorts announced on Thursday that its Burj Khalifa property will launch on April 21 and will be made open to the public on April 23. The hotel was slated to open on March 18 but the launch was then delayed to April 22. A collaboration between the renowned Italian designer Giorgio Armani and Emaar Properties, the 160-room hotel was initially scheduled to open last year. However,…
April 2- Shangri-la's Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa received the ISO 14001 certification, it was announced at a press conference held at the Resort's Al Bandar Hotel Ballroom on Thursday. This makes it the first Omani hotel to receive this certification. The certification is an important development in the resort’s efforts towards preserving the environment. The resort has taken up and implemented 'green…
Park Hyatt Dubai is delighted to announce its resounding success at the Time Out Dubai Restaurant Awards 2010 held on 23 March, when Traiteur, the hotel’s French brasserie restaurant, won the “Best Brunch in Dubai” award and was also highly commended as the “Best Romantic Restaurant in Dubai”. “We are thrilled that the excellence of our French brasserie, Traiteur, has been…
April 1- The will continue to expand but in a slow and steady fashion, said the group’s President John M. Johnston. At the moment, the group has six properties all over the world, which compared to its sister companies, the Fairmont and Swissotel groups, is not enough. Johnston stated that for Raffles to match them in the next five to seven years will be a significant achievement. "The goal is to grow the brand…
April 1- Barwa Real Estate has initiated a study on the project in Qatar, according to a statement issued by the company at the Ordinary General Assembly of its shareholders on Tuesday. The company expects to deliver and operate three major projects, including Barwa Village, Barwa Housing (Masaken & Saliyah) and the 1st phase of Barwa Al Sadd. Among other things, the company’s performance and proposed…
April 1- There are no plans in the offing to expand operations in the Middle for the next few years at least, said Peninsula Hotel Group’s Chief Operating Officer (CEO), Peter Borer. The Hong Kong based group is focusing on India at the moment since it is an emerging market. The group’s delay in expansion is possibly because of the slump that the hospitality industry is facing in the region. “That’s why we are…
March 31- Abu Dhabi’s largest water hotel, the Grand Canal, is slated to open by the end of this year, announced the Chairman of Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH) Mohammed Al Hajri. The design of the hotel, he said, has been inspired by the architecture found in Venice. "Grand Canal constructed on the sea coast, will add a new dimension to green tourism and will be considered one of the most beautiful touristic…
March 29 - The the oldest hotel in the region, has launched month-long celebrations for its 32nd anniversary. The theme for the celebrations is “Rediscover the Metropolitan.” Inaugurated in 1979, the hotel is commemorating the hotel’s history, which itself is a true testimonial of the UAE’s hospitality industry. The Metropolitan has been in the foray to serve business, pleasure and leisure guests from across…
March 29- Hilton Worldwide has signed an agreement with the Egyptian Safir El Zamalek Hotel company for opening a new Hilton hotel along the Nile. Named the Hilton Zamalek Residence Cairo is scheduled to open in July 2010 and is the 16th Hilton branded property in the country. The hotel will feature 88 rooms and 76 suites overlooking the Nile and will be located between Downtown Cairo and Giza. The hotel will…
