Hilton expands in China and other international hotel news

Hilton expands in China
Hilton has expanded two of its brands in China this month with three new openings, across the country. The first was the $32m (£16m) addition of the Executive Tower to the Hilton Beijing, which opened on 1 July.  Featuring 126 rooms and spread over nine floors, the extension takes the total room inventory of the Hilton Beijing to 503.
The second was the Doubletree in Juaqiao-Kunshan which opened on 22 July. The five-star hotel features 398 rooms and is spread over 24-storeys including meeting and banqueting space, a roof-top garden, heated indoor swimming pool and a Chinese restaurant. The third hotel, a Doubletree, opened on July 25 in Beijing. The 547-room hotel is located near the Dong Cheng District and Tian’anmen Square.

Four Dubai openings for Rotana
Middle Eastern hotel group Rotana is to launch four new properties in Dubai in this year. The Rose Rotana comprises 480 luxurious suites and penthouses and will also feature meeting rooms, a fitness centre, an outdoor swimming pool and a sauna and steam room. Next it will launch the Media Rotana, a four star 467-room hotel in the heart of Dubai’s business hub. The third hotel to open will be the Arjaan featuring one, two and three-bedroom apartments. All of the above hotels will open in September. The fourth property, the Amwaj Rotana, will open in November and is the group’s first resort in Dubai.

Rezidor announces three new hotels in Norway
Rezidor has announced three new hotels in Norway, with a total of 704 rooms. The Park Inn Arendal will open its doors later this year, followed by the Park Inn Gardermoen Airport in 2010 and the Radisson Sorlandet Resort Arendal in 2011. The Oark Inn Arendal will have an annex built on increasing its rooms from 42 to 114 by 2009. The Park Inn Gardermoen Airport will be located opposite the Radisson SAS Airport Hotel and will feature 300 rooms, a restaurant, bar and conference facilities. The Radisson Sorlandet will comprise 290 rooms and will feature signature restaurant concepts by Rezidor and a year-round skating rink.

Ugandan national parks to build six five-star hotels by 2010
Uganda is to see the construction of six five-star hotels in six of its national parks. The properties are to be developed at Kidepo National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Mburo National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park. Uganda’s tourism state minister, Serapio Rukundo, said: “We are in negotiations with investors who own Uganda Hotels like Kempinski Hotels, Hilton Hotels, Sheraton Hotels and Serena Hotels to construct these hotels by 2012.”

By Gemma Sharkey

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