Worldwide briefing

Barcelona launches

Spanish hotel group NH Hoteles has opened a new hotel in Barcelona and plans to open a second in the city in 2003, at a total cost of €13.8m (£8.5m). The three-star, 78-bedroom NH Cornellá is already open, while the 100-bedroom Express Sant Just Desvern is scheduled to open at the end of next year.

Deutsch treat

The German division of fast-food giant Burger King recorded a 16.5% increase in turnover in 2001 to €396m (£244m). The company now expects to open 50 new restaurants in Germany this year and a total of 180 by 2005. There are currently 320 Burger Kings in Germany, with 11,000 staff.

Spain set to boom

Spain has been tipped as an investment hotspot by property advisor Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. It says that Spanish hotels will be among the strongest performers in 2002 because the region's GDP is expected to show the strongest growth in Europe over the next two years, boosting domestic demand.

More in China

Starwood is opening its 14th hotel in China. The 623-bedroom Sheraton Shenyang Lido Hotel in Shenyang, Liaoning, will open its doors to the public later this month. The hotel, in the city's business district, also has conference space for 500. Elsewhere in Asia, the group has signed a management agreement with hotel group Kintetsu Hotel Systems to rebrand the 516-bedroom Miyako Hotel in Kyoto, Japan, as the Westin Miyako. The change will take effect from 1 April.