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Brand: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
Spokesperson: Marc Dardenne, vice-president and area general manager
Plans for 2007?
Between 2006 and 2009, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company will open 26 hotels, 19 Ritz-Carlton Residences, four Ritz-Carlton Clubs, and four serviced apartments at locations around the world.
At the same time, the Ritz-Carlton and its owners are investing in multi-million dollar renovations of existing hotel, as well as adding in-room enhancements, from flat-screen televisions to wireless technology. Worldwide investment in 2006 by The Ritz-Carlton and its owners totals over $350 million dollars, with a similar investment expected in 2007. A bullish attitude to 2007? Absolutely! A look at the performance throughout 2005 and 2006 of each of our hotels dictates that we are most positive about 2007. Our current regional hotels in Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Sharm El Sheikh have had outstanding results this year, and have been awarded regionally and internationally, this is a good reason for us to believe we will even be more successful in 2007. New openings and markets? Throughout the Middle East we currently operate four hotels in Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Sharm m El Sheikh and we are building on the success of these properties to expand our presence in the region.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is planning to open three new properties in the region. The first one is in Qatar, Doha Sharq Village & Spa, planned to open at the end of 2006. The 174-room hotel also hosts a 64,000 sqft Six Senses Spa. In Dubai, the Ritz-Carlton Dubai, International Financial Centre, will stand 15 stories high, with 330 guestrooms and 121 serviced and managed apartments. And the last property is a second property in Manama, Bahrain.
Internationally, new hotels are under construction from the capital cities of Asia and Europe, including Beijing and Moscow, to exclusive island retreats in the Caribbean in St Lucia and Turks and Caicos. In North America, locations from Denver to Dallas, Lake Tahoe and Toronto will be sites of upcoming Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts.
New for guests
Over the next few years, 40 hotels and residential projects will feature world class spas which will be added to 37 spas currently operated by The Ritz-Carlton. Renowned names from the culinary world have signed agreements to open signature restaurants, including Michelin three-star Chef Heinz Winkler in Berlin, Wolfgang Puck in Bachelor Gulch, Colorado, David Bouley in South Beach, BLT Steak’s Laurent Tourondel in San Juan, and Eric Ripert in Grand Cayman.