Middle East's first female only hotel launches and other international news

First female only hotel in Middle East launched

The Middle-East's first women only hotel, the Luthan Hotel and Spa, has opened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 25 room hotel offers female only guests 150 types of spa treatments as well as finedinnig and conference facilities. Saudi Arabia applies the religious doctrine of Islam known as Wahhabism, which strictly enforces the separation of sexes in public. Women in the kingdom are prohibited from mixing with men other than relatives and are forced to cover from head to toe.

Oriental in defamation case

The Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, is currently embroiled in a defamation case over an internal memo by its general manager warning rival hotel, the Lebua, was on the prowl for qualified hotel staff. Kurt Wachtveitl, the general manager of the Oriental, told staff in November 2006 that the Lebua had poached 26 employees from the nearby Penninsula Hotel over a two month period and was concerned that his staff would be next. The Lebua has now filed a criminal case alleging that the e-mail was sent to other general managers at nine Bangkok hotels and contended that he memo suggested it used dishonest means to seduce staff. It is also seeking damages of 213m baht (£3.4m).

Conrad Cairo picks up Green Globe status

The Conrad Hotel in Cairo, Egypt, has been awarded Green Globe Certified Gold status for its commitment to operating at high environmental standards. The Hotel was given the award for a multitude of environmental management policies and practices including appointing members of staff to monitor waste, energy and water consumption; training staff in environmental awareness and replacing the electric swimming pool heating system with a steam system.

Detox for decision makers

The Barbados Bay, a Kempinski Hotel in Bodrun, Turkey, has unveiled a detox and spa programme aimed at ‘decision makers' in business. It offers group of ten to 15 people the chance to host intensive planning sessions and board meetings in a tranquil and undisturbed environment, incorporating daily yoga sessions and a specially designed ‘brain food' menu.

By Christopher Walton

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