The city also is watching the redevelopment of its iconic Ritz-Carlton Montréal, currently closed. This project is in the hands of three of the four sons of Marco Torriani, general manager of the Mandarin Oriental Geneva.

In UK, Bespoke Hotels, London, led by Chairman David Coubrough and Managing Director Robin Sheppard, is taking over an 85-room project in Liverpool that was started by Iliad Group, Liverpool, which stresses regeneration of city centers. West Properties UK Ltd., London, has announced a W Hotel in Manchester, and the company’s Irish chief executive, Donal Mulryan, has at least two other sites ready for development.

Morocco’s coastline is in for a prolific Dubai-style boost thanks to The King’s Vision 2010 initiative to grow tourism from 4.5 million in 2000 to 10 million by 2010. This will require an additional 160,000 beds, at least some of which will come from six Plan Azur coastal mega-developments. On the Atlantic Coast to the west of Morocco, there will be Plage Blanche with 26,000 beds; Taghazout (Agadir) with 21,000 beds; Mogador (Essaouira) with 10,600 beds; Mazagan (El Jadida/El Haouzia) with 7,600 beds; and Lixus (Larache-Khemis Sahel) with 12,000 beds. Kerzner International has a 600-room resort at Mazagan, working with local partners Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion and Société Maroc Emirates Arabs Unis de Développement.

The largest development in Plan Azur is the 1,750-acre (708-ha) Mediterrania-Saïdia, which has four miles (6.4 km) of beach to the northeast of Morocco. The US$2.5 billion project will have 30,000 beds, the third largest marina in the Mediterranean, three golf courses and retail and sports facilities. Eleven of 21 integral resorts are being handled by Property Logic, based in Benahavis, Malaga, Spain. Led by its three owners and joint Managing Directors Sean Cusack, Joop Huisman and Margus Reinsalu, Property Logic has sold all its resorts’ 1,341 strata units. Branded as Le Jardin de Fleur, these come in two- to five-bedroom configurations, and they are fully furnished with kitchens. Each resort has its own clubhouse, owned by Property Logic, for such hotel facilities as front desk, back of house, gym, spa and F&B. Hotel operators, therefore, find a turnkey property that simply requires branding, marketing, staffing and operating. So far, two resorts have been signed to Radisson and one to the Moroccan concessionaire of Best Western’s Premier level. Property Logic is also talking with Concorde, David Lloyd Resorts, Golden Tulip and Moroccan operators Hivernage and Riad Lotus.

The Colombo-based travel conglomerate Aitken Spence plc has set its sights beyond Sri Lanka. It already has four hotels in the sultanate of Oman, including two in Muscat. It entered India nearly 15 months ago with properties in Trivandrum and the Andaman Islands. Now, under CEO of its hotels division Gehan Perera, it is working on at least six projects in India and is interested in expansion in Southeast Asia.

David Stein, Mallorca-based chairman of Stein Group International, Barcelona, has sold 50% of his company to Singapore’s KOP Capital, which is backed by Emirates Investments Group’s Emirates Tarian Capital. KOP Managing Director Ong Chih Chng says she thinks there could be 20 projects under way in Asia Pacific by 2013.

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