MIDDLE EAST
Le Méridien opens third Saudi hotel
Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts is to open a 231-bedroom property in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, this autumn, it announced last week.
It will be the third property to open in the kingdom, which has been identified as an area for major development over the next two years.
The group already manages the 329-bedroom Le Gulf Méridien Al Khobar and the 284-bedroom Le Jeddah Méridien.
The new hotel is owned by Saudi Amjad Holding and is located 100m away from the Grand Mosque. Each room has a view of the focus of the pilgrimages.
Shangri-La launches Middle East expansion
Hong Kong-based hotel group Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts opened its first property outside the Asia Pacific region in Dubai last week.
The new five-star hotel and 126 serviced apartment development is the result of a management agreement between Shangri-La and the UAE-based Al Jaber Group.
Shangri-La is undertaking a development drive in the Middle East that will begin with three properties and almost 1,400 rooms and apartments within two years with the combined openings of the Shangri-La hotel, Dubai, the four-star Traders hotel, Dubai, in October 2003 and the Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa, Muscat, Oman, opening in July 2005.
EUROPE
Golden Tulip prepares for Athens Olympics
The Golden Tulip Electra Palace hotel in Athens reopened last week after an 18-month closure for refurbishment and extension.
A new 60-bedroom wing is expected to open by the end of the year alongside the refurbished 112-bedroom hotel. The building's facade has been completely changed to a neo-classical style.
Hans Kennedie, president and chief executive of Golden Tulip, said: "With the upcoming Olympic Games Athens is increasing its profile as a destination and, as such, it is important for all hotels to be up to or above par."
INDIA
Le Méridien expands in India
Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts is taking over management of its first property in the northern Indian state of Gujarat this month and will also move into the resort sector in Kerala later this year.
Despite its ongoing financial problems, Le Méridien manages properties in the six major gateway cities in India - in Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Mumbai, Pune and two in New Delhi.
ASIA
China's hotel sector booming
The hotel industry is one of the fastest growing sectors on the Chinese mainland, according to a study released by the China National Tourism Administration.
Even the Sars virus and its crippling impact will not slow the industry's double-digit growth for the foreseeable future, according the South China Morning Post.
At the end of last year there were 8,880 hotels with ratings of one to six stars, a 20% increase on the previous year, the study reported. There were 897,000 hotel rooms with 1.73 million beds.