Former Stasi headquarters to be turned into a hotel and other international hotel news

Former Stasi headquarters to be turned into a hotel
Leonardo Hotels, the European arm of Israel’s Fattal Hotel management, plans to build a hotel in Berlin, in the former headquarters of the Staatsicherheit (Staasi) - the former East German secret police service. The £45m conversion will result in the Leonardo Royal Berlin hotel, which will have 304 rooms, and an 8m high lobby. The building’s façade and exterior will be preserved. The new hotel will bring Leonardo’s in Berlin to four. Fattal plans to buy a further 25 hotels this year across Europe in an investment of £500m.

Ritz Carlton plans Chinese expansion
Ritz Carlton plans to expand the number of its luxury brand hotels in China by adding a further five to its portfolio, bringing its total to nine. It plans to expand on both mainland China and in Macau and Hong Kong in the next two years. It currently comprises two in Beijing, and one in Shanghai and Shenzhen. Its new Guangzhou hotel is now open for business and the second in Sanya will open later in the year. The US company currently manages more than 70 hotels worldwide.

IHG to add two hotels in India
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Indian real estate developer, Eros, have signed a deal for the management of two hotels in New Delhi. They will develop a 200-room InterContinental and a 264-room Holiday Inn as part of an integrated complex in the suburb of Mayur. Both properties will open in 2011.

Jumeirah enters China
Jumeirah, the luxury United Arab Emirates hotel company, has launched its brand into the Chinese market with a Chinese name Zun Ya, in Shanghai. The flagship property will open in August. Jumeirah plans to open 13 more luxury hotels in the Asia-Pacific region in the next coming years, five of which will be in China. It is likely the group will expand its global portfolio to 57 hotels by 2011.

Starwood to launch St Regis brand in Bahrain
Starwood Hotels and Resorts has announced plans to debut a St Regis hotel in Bahrain. The hotel will be located on a reclaimed island facing Manama’s city centre. The 300-room hotel is scheduled to open in 2011, will also have four restaurants, and English-trained Butlers.

By Gemma Sharkey

E-mail your comments to Gemma Sharkey here.