Germany’s Kempinski Hotels & Resorts, Europe's oldest luxury hotel group, has signed a management contract for its first ever cruise ship. The Kempinski Ganna will be the largest vessel on the Nile when it takes its maiden voyage in July. The Kempinski Ganna will cruise the River Nile, between Luxor and Aswan, Southern Egypt's two main cities.
The ship has 70 deluxe rooms and four suites, all with ensuite bathrooms, telephone, TV, private bar, hairdryer, room service and Nile views. Facilities include a gourmet restaurant, live entertainment, bars, reading room, gymnasium, boutiques and swimming pool as well as extensive leisure facilities.
Kempinski has been chosen in August 2001 by the Abu Dhabi government to run what is planned to become one of the world's most luxurious hotels. The property, which will be built in the style of an ornate Oriental Palace with 440 rooms and suites, will be located on a sandy beach, set within 200 acres of landscaped gardens, modeled after Versailles. Slated for completion by 2004, the hotel will also house the largest conference center in the region.
The chain’s first facility in the region is the 187-room Ajman Kempinski Hotel Resort in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which opened in 1998. The Ajman property has enjoyed occupancy rates near 80 percent, and raised awareness of the Kempinski brand, said Christopher Hartley, the company’s Geneva-based vice-president for marketing.
Kempinski operates 26 properties in 12 countries, with the majority being in Europe. Once partly owned by Lufthansa, the airline sold its share in the mid-1990s. Today, 83 percent of Kempinski is owned by Thailand's Siam Sindhorn, which holds 83 percent, and another 13 per cent is held by Geneva bank acting on behalf of private investors. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
