Starwood to open W hotel in Washington
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide is to open its first W Hotel in Washington DC in 2009. The 317-room W Washington DC will open in what is currently the Hotel Washington, an Italian Renaissance revival building occupying the corner of the city’s Pennsylvania Avenue and 15th Street, across the street from the White House. It will include a rooftop bar and terrace as well as a signature restaurant and a spa.

Marriott to open seven new Ritz-Carlton hotels in China
Marriott International has unveiled plans to open seven new Ritz-Carlton hotels in China over the next two years. The company has set a revenue contribution target for China of nearly 20% of global sales for Ritz-Carlton by 2010. China currently contributes around 7% of the brand’s global revenue. Ritz-Carlton will open its fourth China hotel in Beijing next week.

Rezidor to expand in Europe
The Rezidor Hotel Group has announced management contracts for six new hotels to open in Europe. The contracts include a Radisson resort in Yalta, Ukraine; a Radisson hotel in Paris, France; two Radisson hotels in Portimao, Portugal; a Radisson hotel in Brno, Czech Republic; and a Park Inn hotel in St. Helens in the UK. These new hotels will add a total of 1,048 rooms to the group's portfolio and form part of its aggressive expansion plans to add 20,000 new rooms by 2009.

Mandarin Oriental expands in Spain
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is to launch a new property in Spain with the opening of the Mandarin Oriental Marbella in 2010. The 153-room property will also include 19 villas and 61 residential apartments which will be branded and managed as Residences at Mandarin Oriental. The hotel will have seven restaurants and bars as well as a 2,700sq m spa featuring 11 private treatment rooms, relaxation areas and a fitness centre with swimming pool. Other leisure facilities include a private beach club and full golfing facilities.

By Kerstin Kühn

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