Worldwide briefing

New hotel for Red Square
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has taken over the site of the old Hotel Moskva in Moscow, Russia and plans to turn it into Four Seasons Hotel Moscow, a 200-bed hotel for leisure and business travellers. The hotel will include several bars, restaurants, meeting space for up to 300 people and is due for completion at the end of 2007.

100th hotel added to Great Hotels Organisation The Century Golden Resources Hotel in Beijing, China is to join the Great Hotels Organisation as part of the company's luxury brand, Great Hotels of the World. The flagship brand was set up in October 2003 and used by hotels such as the Victoria Hotel in Paris and the Premier Palace in Kiev. The hotel is thought of as one of the best hotels in what is regarded as China's Silicon Valley.

Arabian Prince awarded for services to hospitality A lifetime achievement award was awarded to Prince Al Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference this month, in recognition of his services to tourism. Owner of the Kingdom Hotel Investment Group, Prince Al Waleed has a vast portfolio, which includes shares in Disneyland Paris, Apple computers and five Four Seasons hotels. Conference organiser Jonathan Worsley said: "He is widely recognised as one of the most visionary leaders in Arabia."

New five-star hotel for Sharm el Sheikh A 350-bed hotel is to open in the Egyptian tourist resort of Sharm el Sheikh. Owned by Millennium Hotels and Resorts, the five-star property will include a conference centre for 1,000 people and 92 residential duplex apartments. The hotel has a private beach and is due to open in late 2006/early 2007.

Second Hotel for Inner Mongolia Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts announced it is to open its second hotel in Inner Mongolia in Hohhot. The Hohhot hotel will open in late 2007. It lies 20 minutes from the airport and will have 373 guestrooms and 11 serviced apartments, all with satellite television and broadband internet access.

New Dubai hotel to have 13 restaurants The Grosvenor House West Marina Beach in Dubai is scheduled to open this summer, and will feature 13 new restaurants in the immediate "marina" area. These will include Mezzanine run by former royal head chef Gary Robinson, Indego which will serve traditional Indian food, Ottoman which will feature Ottoman cuisine and a Buddha Bar to provide a landmark nightspot

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