Serena Hotels signs up for Rwanda and other international news

24 January 2007 by
Serena Hotels signs up for Rwanda and other international news

Serena Hotels signs up for Rwanda
Serena hotels has signed a 30-year contract for two Rwandan hotels. The group will take over the 104-bedroom, five-star Kigali InterContinental Hotel and the 72-bedroom four-star Kivu Sun Hotel on 1 February under long term lease agreements with the Rwandan government. The hotels will be relaunched following extensive refurbishment as the Kigali Serena Hotel and the Lake Kivu Serena hotel. Serena hotels are owned and operated by Tourism Promotion Services, an arm of the Aga Khan Fund for economic development.

Oberoi takes national tourism award The Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra has been named the best five-star hotel in India. Introduced by the Indian government, the National Tourism Awards, named the Oberoi as the winner in the Five Star Deluxe category for the second consecutive year. Situated just 600m from the Taj Mahal, the 102-bedroom hotel is set in 9 acres of gardens, terraced lawns and pavilions.

Warwick International goes to Bali Warwick International Hotels (WIH) has agreed a long-term lease for the Ibah Luxury Villas & Spa, Tjorkord Raka and Asri Kerthyasa to become part of the Warwick Collection. The property, which is owned by Ubud Bali royal family members, consists of 18 uniquely designed villas with views of the Ayung river and valley. WIH was launched in 1980 and now has more than 40 hotels and resorts worldwide.

Leela Palaces to expand
Indian hotel group, Leela Palaces and Resorts is to add five new hotels to the group within the next three years. The new hotels will be a 319-room and 90-residence hotel in Gurgaon; an 82-room, palace hotel in Udaipur; a 15-storey, 360-room palace in Chennai; a $70m (£35.3m), 300-room, new-build hotel in Hyderabad; a $36m (£18m), 260-room hotel in Pune and a hotel in New Delhi.

Redberry buys 16 Pizza Huts
Yum! Brands has sold 16 Pizza Hut restaurants in Ontario to Canadian company Redberry Resto Brands for an undisclosed sum. The deal is the Montreal-based Redberry's second major purchase 18 months, following its September 2005 acquisition of 40 Pizza Huts. The company said it would invest CAD$4m (£1.7m) to renovate them. Redberry acquired eight outlets in the Kingston area, three in Nepean, two in Ottawa, and one in Kanata, Gloucester and Orleans.

IHG signs up for new Vietnam hotel
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed a management agreement for a new-build, 500-room hotel in Danang, Vietnam. The company will operate the property under its Crowne Plaza brand, marking its market entry in the South East Asian country. Developed by Hoangdat Silver Shores Exceptional International Entertainment Joint Venture Company, the hotel is scheduled to open in early 2009. "We are tapping into the vibrant Vietnamese economy. Danang is a city in which this economic momentum is very much apparent," said IHG chief operating officer, Southern Asia and Korea, Jan Smits.

Rezidor expands in SwedenRezidor has signed agreements for two new Park Inn hotels in the Swedish capital of Stockholm and in Leigh, in the UK. The 177-room, 18-storey Park Inn hotel in Stockholm, due to open in 2009, is situated in the city's Hammarby Sjostad area and includes a rooftop terrace. The 135-room Park Inn Leigh, which will be built on the M6 motorway between Liverpool and Manchester, is scheduled to open in 2008. It will include a restaurant and bar, spa facilities and meeting rooms. The properties are in line with Rezidor's strategy to aggressively pursue expansion within the mid-market segment.

By Emily Manson

E-mail your comments to Emily Manson](mailto:emily.manson@rbi.co.uk?subject=Worldwide briefing) here.

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