Accor To Manage Luxury Hotel In Mecca
By Karyn Strauss, Associate Editor -- HOTELS Magazine, 5/1/2005
Accor
To Manage Luxury Hotel In Mecca
MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA Accor has been chosen by the Munshaat
Group, a Kuwaiti investment company, to manage the US$600
million, 5-star Zam Zam Sofitel Grand Suites in Mecca,
Saudi Arabia, scheduled to open in September 2006.
With 1,240 suites, the Zam Zam Sofitel Grand Suites is part of the prestigious Al Beit Towers complex. It is being built on 91,000 sq. m (979,516 sq. ft.) of land owned by the King Abdulaziz Foundation. The 34-story complex enjoys a direct, panoramic view of the Haram courts.
The hotel complex will include a convention center, a shopping mall and a floor of restaurants that can seat up to 5,000. More than 1,000 of the suites will be marketed on a timeshare basis. Accor will manage all of the establishment’s hotel services.
The hotel will have capacity for 6,000 customers and employ 1,500 people. Zam Zam means “holy water” in Arabic.
Ritz-Carlton
Settles West Caicos
West Caicos, B.W.I. As the
island of West Caicos in the British West Indies opens its
shores to settlement for the first time in nearly 100
years, Ritz-Carlton will debut a new boutique resort and villas. The
intimate, 125-suite Molasses Reef resort hotel and first phase of
the villas (approximately 30) are expected to be complete in the winter
of 2007. Molasses Reef is rumored to be the final resting place of
Columbus’ Pinta
and ranks among the world’s top dive sites.
The resort will feature two restaurants and a full-service spa that will incorporate indigenous herbal plants in treatments. Oceanfront guest suites, all with private terraces, will be configured in one- and two-story groupings, spread over a half-mile of beachfront. Designed by Scott Lee of SB Architects with interior design by Wilson & Associates, the resort will blend traditional Caribbean influences with “sense of place” design elements, including verdant garden courtyards and secluded plunge pools.
For groups and executive retreats, Molasses Reef will feature a 2,000-sq. ft. (186-sq. m) conference facility that can be subdivided for smaller groups, including breakout rooms with ocean views. The villas eventually will number 60 and will have access to all hotel services, including housekeeping, spa, dining and concierge.
Park Plaza Plans
New Berlin Hotel
BERLIN
Park Plaza Hotels Europe recently unveiled plans for
the new, 4-star deluxe Wallstreet Park Plaza in Berlin,
scheduled to open in the spring of 2006.
The hotel site is that of the monumental office building Wallhöfe in the heart of Berlin’s historic city center. The building will be converted into a modern hotel by famous Austrian architect Johanne Nalbach.
Plans for the Wallstreet Park Plaza, which will be designed to represent the New York Stock Exchange, include 167 luxury guestrooms along with a bar, restaurant, health club, meeting rooms, inner court terrace and private secure parking. The individually designed, air-conditioned guestrooms and suites will include custom-made furniture, two separate telephone lines, flat-screen televisions, wireless Internet connectivity and laptop-size safes. One of the hotel’s unique features will be a 66-seat cinematic auditorium for movie premieres, product launches and special events.
The Wallstreet Park Plaza will become the flagship Berlin property for the Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts brand, joining the existing Park Plaza Berlin.
Shangri-La To
Open In Wenzhou
Wenzhou, China Shangri-La
Hotels and Resorts has announced that it will open a luxury hotel
in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China, in early 2008.
Designed by Tokyo-based K.K.S. International, the 400-room hotel will be located in the city’s Zhongxin District, adjacent to the Wenzhou Convention and Exhibition Center, overlooking the Oujiang River.
The contemporary styled guestrooms will measure a minimum 460 sq. ft. (43 sq. m) and feature river views. Guests will be offered 24-hour roomservice, same day laundry and valet service, satellite television, data ports, and broadband and wireless Internet access. The five floors of Horizon Club accommodations will offer a host of special amenities, including a lounge for daily breakfast and cocktails, meeting rooms, and express check-in and check-out services.
Dining and entertainment options will include an all-day dining outlet, a Chinese restaurant, a specialty restaurant, a lobby lounge and an entertainment center. Meeting and banqueting facilities will feature a 21,530-sq. ft. (2,000-sq. m) grand ballroom complemented by a 3,010-sq. ft. (280-sq. m) auditorium and 10 other function rooms with a total space of 14,425 sq. ft. (1,340 sq. m). The hotel’s other facilities will include a business center, spa and health club with an indoor pool.
Corinthia
Hotels
Takes To Austrian Ski Slopes
Haus, Austria Corinthia Hotels will manage the new,
E32 million, 5-star Corinthia Ski & Golf Resort in Haus, Austria,
set to open in the latter half of 2006. The resort will
incorporate a 182-room hotel and an adjoining golf village
with an existing 18-hole championship golf course and
a golf academy and training center. The Haus ski resort has hosted
various ski world championships and is a candidate for future competitions
as well.
Facilities in the hotel will include a number of suites with open fireplaces, Jacuzzis and private balconies; an executive club; multiple restaurants and a cafeteria; a winter garden; and an extensive wellness center with a pool, sauna and health treatments. The resort also will feature a 450-sq. m (4,844-sq. ft.) conference and convention center.
The property will be Corinthia’s first operation in Austria; the company operates 4- and 5-star properties in other European countries.
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