Worldwide briefing
Hotels Constance to open two new properties
Hotels Constance Group in Mauritius will open properties in Madagascar and Namibia during the next two years. The first group of properties will be in Madagascar's capital of Antananarivo and there will also be three island lodges along the coast. The venture in Namibia will mark the launch of the Constance Safari Lodges. The company has also said it will open the Ephelia Resort in the Seychelles in 2007.
Summit Hotels Europe expansion
Summit Hotels and Resorts has announced seven new properties, which will bring its hotel portfolio to 115. The new hotels include the Amsterdam American Hotel, the Athens Imperial and the Golden Gate Hotel in Prague. In the UK Summit owns 10 hotels, which includes the City Inn Group with properties in Westminster, Birmingham, Bristol and Glasgow.
Cipriani scoops Condé Nast Award The Hotel Cipriani in Venice has been voted Condé Nast Traveller's best hotel in the Overseas Leisure Hotels category. The Cipriani received an overall score of 95.67% with location, ambiance and standard of accommodation all scoring in the high nineties. The San Domenico Palace Hotel in Sicily came second in the awards and the Hotel Arts Barcelona third.
Sharm el Sheikh on the mend
Despite July's bombing in Sharm el Sheikh, which caused the area's hotel occupancy rate to fall from 90% to 60%, Ahmed el Maghraby, the Egyptian minister for tourism, has stated the country's tourism industry is recovering well, with US travellers returning.
Raffles set to complete hotel assets sale
Raffles Holdings is set to complete the sale of its hotel assets by the end of the month, which will include the 118 year old Raffles Hotel in Singapore. At an extraordinary general meeting at the beginning of September shareholders gave approval for the deal, which will see US private equity firm Colony Capital take over the company.
Distinguished Hotels International expands
Distinguished Hotels International's Lagoon Beach Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa is now fully operational after opening in May of this year. The Lagoon Beach Hotel has 211 rooms and offers views of the Cape Town landmark, Table Mountain. It is the only property in the city to have direct beach access.
