Starwood launches new Ducasse restaurant in New York and other international hotel news

Starwood launches new Ducasse restaurant in New YorkStarwood hotels has announced a number of developments, including the opening of Alain Ducasse's Adour restaurant at its flagship St Regis Hotel in New York City. The restaurant was designed by New York-based architects the Rockwell Group and will serve Ducasse's signature French cuisine. The group also plans to launch its W brand of hotels in Marrakesh, Morocco. The development will include a 150-room hotel and 68 whole-ownership villa residences and is set to open in 2010.

IHG expands further in RussiaInterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the signing of a further Moscow property, its seventh Holiday Inn in the Russian capital. The new-build 240-room will be the 16th IHG hotel in the Russian market, six of which are open and the remaining 10 in the pipeline. IHG's vice-president of strategic development in Russia, Michael Cooper, said: "With approximately 10% of the number of international standard rooms of Paris and London, we believe there is plenty of growth to go for in Russia]; the market is under-supplied."

Accor to expand in Vietnam French hotel operator Accor plans to expand its presence in the south east Asian country of Vietnam. The company plans to launch its luxury Pullman and mid-scale Mercure brands, as well as expanding its Novotel brand. Three Pullman hotels are set to be developed in the country, including a 150-room Spa resort, a 200-room Pullman Lao Cai hotel and a 360-room Vung Tau hotel. The group also announced its decision to develop two Mercure hotels in Ha Noi, set to open in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Accor opened its new office in Ho Chi Minh City last week and expects to boost its growth from eight to 20 properties by the end of 2010.

New York's City's Plaza Hotel reopens New York City's Plaza Hotel has reopened after a three-year renovation project that cost $400m (£198m). The hotel now has 282 rooms, a reduction from the previous 805 rooms and 181 apartments. It has also retained the palm court and restored its stained glass ceiling. Hotel general manager Shane Krige said: "The rooms will bridge the gap between the old and the new with modern touches like flat-screen TVs and iPod docks, with touches of old-fashioned opulence like 24-karat gold-plated faucets and white-gloved butlers."

Kempinski to open 17 hotels in 2008 Luxury hotel group Kempinski Hotels is to open 17 new hotels worldwide this year. The company expects to close the year with 73 hotels in its portfolio.

By Gemma Sharkey

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