Worldwide briefing
Great Hotels expands to Côte d'Azur
Great Hotels of the World is to open a new hotel on the Côte d'Azur, Southern France. Le Mas de Pierre lies at the heart of a two hectare estate in the Provence countryside, 20 minutes from Nice airport and a few kilometres from the sea. The 48 bedrooms, apartments and suites all have private gardens or large terraces and are decorated in Provençal style, with antique furniture and marble bathrooms. There is a 60-seater restaurant and spa with a sauna, hamman, solarium, Jacuzzi, massage and beauty facilities. Five meetings rooms offer space for up to 120 people.
Dublin's Towers reopens after €3m refurb
In the heart of Dublin's embassy district, the Towers has reopened at the end of a €3m (£2m) three-year refurbishment programme. This sister hotel to the Jurys Ballsbridge has 107 bedrooms and includes a revitalised lobby and lavish cinema room with 17 leather seats. The hotel also offers a custom designed meetings suite and wireless internet access.
Zam Zam Sofitel opens as largest luxury hotel in Middle East
With a name that means holy water in Arabic, the Zam Zam Sofitel Grande Suites in Mecca is certainly going to need a lot of it. The largest luxury hotel in the Middle East/Africa region has 1,240 suites, a shopping mall, convention centre and a floor full of restaurants that seat up to 5,000 people. The five-star establishment is built on land owned by the King Abdulaziz Foundation and most suites will be marketed on a timeshare basis by Accor.
Starwood opens second hotel in Puerto Rico
Starwood Hotels and Resorts has opened a second hotel in Puerto Rico. The Four Points by Sheraton Palmas Del Mar Resort is on the south-east coast, approximately 45 minutes from Old San Juan and less than an hour from Luis Munoz International Airport. Adjacent to a stretch of white sandy beach, the hotel has 107 bedrooms, a third of which have ocean views. 1,524sq m of meeting space, a fitness centre, whirlpool and infinity pool complete the set up. Two world-class golf courses, tennis courts and equestrian facilities are nearby and the hotel is to add casino facilities soon.
Rezidor SAS report record profits
Hospitality business Rezidor SAS recorded the largest growth in its history in 2004. The SAS Airlines Group-owned company made profits of €4.2m (£2.9m), recovering from losses of €27.7m (£19m) in 2003. In 2005, the group now plans to increase the number of hotels from 245 to 300, expanding their Park Inn Brand and boosting their hotel portfolio in Southern Europe, Africa and Eastern Europe.
By Emily Mason
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