Keep Your Eye On Some Of The Industry's Major Hotel Chains As They Rapidly Expand Across The Globe

• Fairmont Hotels & Resorts: Though the brand has 51 hotels in 10 countries, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts (www.fairmont.com) is showing no signs of slowing down. Its development team is targeting North America, the Middle East/Africa, Asia and Europe. While the brand has been focusing expansion efforts in Europe, with new additions in Hamburg, London, Scotland and Monaco, Fairmont recently announced plans for a luxury mixed-use resort on Anguilla. When it opens in 2010, The Fairmont Anguilla will have 140 rooms and suites, a 15,000-square-foot Willow Stream Spa, beach club and Jack Nicklaus Golf Club.  The Regent Palms, Turks and Caicos

In the winter, look for Fairmont to reopen New York's Plaza Hotel following a $350 million renovation. The brand is also set to reflag three hotels in Kenya this year. Other destinations slated for development include Cairo and Nile City in Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Vancouver, South Africa and Asia.

• Global Hyatt Corp.: Hyatt (www.hyatt.com) has its sights set on Asia Pacific with plans to open 16 hotels over the next three years. Hot spots include China, where 12 hotels are tapped for development, three of which will open under the Park Hyatt brand. Look for the Park Hyatt Beijing to open in 2007 followed by those in Ningbo and Shanghai in 2008.

The Hyatt Regency brand has six hotels slated to open within the next three years in: Jing Jin City (late 2007), Phuket (late 2007), Chongqing (2008), Chengdu (2008), Nanjing (2008) and Suzhou (2008). An additional three will fly the Grand Hyatt flag: Guangzhou in 2008 followed by Macau and Shenzhen in 2009. Hyatt also plans to grow its brand in India by 2010.

• Hilton Hotels Corp.: Across the Hilton Family of Hotels (www.hilton.com), 800 hotels are in the pipeline totaling 110,000 rooms. Its luxury brand, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, announced its entrance into South America with the Conrad Buenos Aires, slated to open late 2010. The Hilton Iguazu Resort is expected to open late 2008 and the Hilton Ushuaia in 2009. Conrad is in the process of converting a property in the Maldives and has others under development in Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, the Bahamas and Koh Samui.

The hotel giant has also secured partnerships to grow its portfolio in India and China by 100 hotels in the next five to seven years and signed three new alliances to add 15 properties in the Caribbean and Central America, 25 in Russia and at least 15 in the U.K.

• InterContinental Hotels Group: By the end of 2008, InterContinental (www.ichotelgroup.com) plans to add 50,000 to 60,000 rooms across its seven brands with particularly strong growth in China, Japan, India and Vietnam. Three InterContinental Hotels and Resorts are slated to open in China by year's end in Chengdu, Shenzhen and Jiuzhaigou. Also poised to open by the end of the year is the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake, along with the InterContinental Dubai Festival City. Rendering of Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Daning

In the U.S., the brand will debut in San Francisco, Sacramento, Scottsdale and Orlando over the next few years. System wide, IHG reports major developments in New York City, Denver, Chicago, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston and San Antonio.

• Marriott International: Earlier this year, Marriott (www.marriott.com) announced a partnership with Nickelodeon for a new hotel brand, Nickelodeon Resorts by Marriott. The upscale destination resorts will come with Nickelodeon-themed activities and multi-bedroom suites, and will debut in San Diego in 2010; 20 new resorts are expected to open around the world by 2020.

Marriott also teamed up with Ian Schrager to develop a boutique global brand and hopes to have 100 hotels within 10 years.

Marriott will triple its portfolio in India by 2010, adding 21 properties across six brands; the Courtyard brand will enter Thailand in 2008.

• Regent Hotels & Resorts: Carlson Hotels has a master plan to expand its upscale brand, Regent Hotels & Resorts (www.regenthotels.com), with eight new properties expected to open within the next four years.

Regent Hotels & Resorts announced its entrance into the Caribbean in April with The Regent Palms, Turks and Caicos, a 72-suite luxury resort on Grace Bay Beach. The brand is also growing its U.S. portfolio with The Regent Boston at Battery Wharf Hotel, slated to open in spring 2008. The Regent Bal Harbour in Florida is on target to open later this year followed by The Regent Bangkok in 2008. Also in 2008, The Regent Maldives will debut as a 50-villa luxury resort on the island of Maalefushi.

Also on the horizon for the brand is The Regent Dubrovnik, due to open in Croatia in 2009 and The Regent Papagayo, opening in 2010 in Costa Rica. Also in 2010, look for Regent to make its grand entrance into the United Arab Emirates with The Regent Emirates Pearl in Abu Dhabi in 2010.

• Starwood Hotels & Resorts: In 2007, Starwood (www.starwoodhotels.com) plans to open more than 80 hotels and hopes to sign 200 management and franchise contracts. Starwood is growing its portfolio in Asia Pacific, with a specific focus on China. By the end of 2010, the company will have opened approximately 32 new hotels in China alone.

—EFS

Resources

• Cotton Bay Villas www.discovercottonbay.com

Contact: 800-404-9281, [email protected]

• Fairmont Le Montreux Palace www.fairmont.com

Contact: Jill Button, director of sales and marketing, 011-41-21-962-1044, [email protected]

• Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria at San Stefano, Egypt www.fourseasons.com

Contact: Ayman Sallam, director of sales, 011-20 -3-581-8000, [email protected]

• Ritz-Carlton, Dallas www.ritzcarlton.com

Contact: Travel Agent Liaison Michael Bridges, 214-922-4716, [email protected]