Worldwide briefing

Royal Chef to join flagship hotel restaurant in Dubai
The Prince of Wales's former chef Gary Robinson is decamping to Dubai, where he will become head chef at the Mezzanine restaurant at the Grosvenor House hotel. Part of Le Mèridien hotel group, Grosvenor House has 217 rooms and 205 apartments. The restaurant, which will be on the hotel's second floor is due to open this summer.

New hotel for San Diego
A new four-star hotel has opened in San Diego. The Hotel Solamar is the latest property to be bought by Kimpton, the San-Francisco based company which owns 39 hotels across the US and Canada. The hotel has 235 rooms, a 3,048sq m rooftop pool, outdoor fitness centre and 175-seater restaurant. Kimpton Hotels is planning to open two Miami hotels this year and next.

French Hotel provides Kids' Kits in new package The Dorchester group's Hotel Meurice in Paris has raised the standard for family holidays by introducing a package that aims to please adults and kids. A Leading Hotels of the World member, the Meurice gives parents a bottle of wine and petit fours on arrival and each room has a Kids' Kit, which includes child-sized robes and slippers, a special room service menu and puzzles. A treasure hunt and visit to Jardin d'Acclimatation are also part of the package, which costs from £860 for two rooms, per night.

Hilton to run Mount Wolseley Country Estate Hilton International has signed a contract to operate the five-star Mount Wolseley Country Estate in Ireland from 1 June. The 142-room hotel in County Carlow is surrounded by a championship 18-hole golf course and will be known as the Wolseley Hilton. Originally opened in August 1996, the hotel underwent a £15m extension in October 2004. A further £3.4m was spent on a holistic spa.

Marriott buys Hotel Plaza Vendôme Marriott International has purchased the Paris Hotel Plaza Vendôme for its Renaissance brand, after buying all the shares of Tuileries Finances SAS, former owners of the hotel. The 97-room hotel incorporates Le Pinxo restaurant and a health club and is the 200th to join the Renaissance brand in Europe.

New measures for female business travellers The Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center is to offer four female-friendly guest rooms specifically designed for the lone female business traveller. Besides unlimited internet access, women will be offered herbal teas, welcome fruit and flowers on arrival, silk pyjamas and choice of glossy magazine. An extended range of beauty products and an extra strong hairdryer will be available.

Monaco gets first new hotel since 1928 Monaco-based leisure company Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) is to open its fifth luxury hotel in Monte Carlo in October. The four-star Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort has been in development since December 2002. It is the first hotel to be built in the principality since 1928, at a cost of €200m (£136m). The 334-bedroom property will house two restaurants, a slot-machine casino and spa with a 100m sand-bottomed lagoon. A business centre will offer 10 conference rooms and 700sq m banqueting space. Other properties in the SBM portfolio include the five-star Hotel de Paris and Hotel Hermitage.