Rotana Hotels enters Kuwait and other international hotel news

Rotana Hotels enters Kuwait
Rotana Hotels is launching its first property in Kuwait later this month with the opening of the Al Manshar Rotana hotel. The 200-room property, which is located 25 minutes from Kuwait international airport, features three food service outlets including an all-day dining restaurant, a café and a roof-top bar. Business facilities include meeting and conference rooms as well as a ballroom catering for up to 200 people. The hotel also includes a health and fitness centre featuring a rooftop swimming pool, jacuzzi, gym, tennis courts and sauna and massage rooms. Rotana Hotels currently manages 25 properties throughout the Middle East and plans to double its portfolio within the next two years.

Starwood to open Milan airport hotelStarwood is to launch a new property in Italy with the opening of the Sheraton Malpensa Airport hotel at in Milan. The 450-room hotel, which is scheduled to open in 2010, will be adjacent to the airport's main building, Terminal 1. It will include more than 6,200sq ft of meeting and banqueting space, as well as spa and fitness facilities including an indoor pool, treatment rooms, steam bath and sauna. Dining options will include a 450-cover main restaurant as well as a 24-hour eatery and a lounge and American bar. The hotel, which has been designed by architect King Rosselli, will resemble an aeroplane and will include a curved steel and glass structure providing direct access to the airport as well as two lateral wings flanking the hotel, housing the guest rooms.

Hyatt to expand Eastern European offer Hyatt Hotels & Resorts plans to expand its Eastern European offering with the opening of five new properties in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Tajikistan over the next three years. The new hotels will include three Hyatt Regency hotels including a 234-room property in Kiev (Ukraine), a 240-room hotel in Dushanbe (Tajikistan) and a 300-room property in Yekaterinburg (Russia), all scheduled to open between 2007 and 2009. In addition the company plans to launch a 350-room Grand Hyatt hotel in the Russian capital of Moscow in 2008, as well as a 183-room Park Hyatt Tbilisi in Georgia, which is currently under construction.

Rezidor launches new Radisson Style hotel in Russia
The Rezidor Hotel Group is to launch a new Radisson Style hotel in Russia with the opening of a hotel in Rostov-on-Don towards the end of 2007. Centrally located at the shores of the River Don, the 81-room hotel will feature 56 standard rooms, 16 junior suites, eight suites and one presidential suite, as well as a restaurant and a bar. Adjacent to the hotel site, guests will find the popular Volga-Don river cruises passenger port including attractions such as a river promenade, restaurants, bars and clubs. Rezidor chief executive officer and president Kurt Ritter said: "The Radisson Style hotel will be the first internationally managed property in the city and the project forms part of our strategic development in Russia and the CIS."

Accor enters Pakistan
Accor has expanded its offer in Asia with the opening of its first hotel in Pakistan. The five-star Grand Mercure Karachi Airport hotel, will feature 235 rooms and marks the first new luxury hotel to be added to the area in more than two decades. The hotel, which is located next to the airport's terminal one and star gate, will include an all day dining restaurant, a coffee shop, health club, swimming pool, banqueting facilities and a business centre.

By Kerstin Kühn

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