BERLIN—Kempinski Hotels is poised for growth.
Martin R. Smura, CEO and chairman of the management board of Kempinski Hotels, commented on the company’s joint venture with the Beijing Tourism Group. “I am very proud that in the future we will operate through our joint venture with the Beijing Tourism Group two extraordinary and world-first hotel concepts in the new Universal Beijing Resort: The Universal Studios Grand Hotel and the NUO Resort Hotel – Universal Beijing Resort,” he said. “While the two hotels with 1,200 rooms mark the first phase of the cooperation, another 4,800 rooms will be added at a later stage. The Universal Studios Grand Hotel and NUO Resort – Universal Beijing Resort will position themselves as independent travel destinations and offer a special guest experience through the perfect blend of stylish design and historical cultural features of China. Guests of both hotels will have direct and exclusive access to the theme park.”
The next hotel opening for Kempinski Hotels is only a few weeks away: the Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, another flagship for the brand, which will open its doors in May. This second property of Kempinski Hotels in the Thai capital is located in the upscale Langsuan neighborhood near the verdant Lumphini Park. Integrated spa, wellness and fitness facilities will span more than 43,000 sq. ft. across three floors of the new hotel. Perched on the ninth floor, restaurant Flow will offer plant-based cuisine with locally sourced, 100%-certified organic produce and immerse guests into a nutrition-loaded eating experience.
Kempinski Hotels purely focuses on hotel development projects and additional flagship hotels that can deliver the brand promise and be profitable while ensuring a distinctive quality of service to demanding guests, according to the company. Moving forward, the strategic orientation of the Kempinski Group’s expansion will not only be based on management contracts, but the acquisition of hotel properties. In particular, properties that may be extensively renovated and then repositioned under the group’s own brands will be favored.
“We are definitely interested to also own hotel real estate. Currently, we are under negotiations to buy several hotels, three out of them in Germany,” said Smura.
Starting from May 2020, 7Pines Kempinski Ibiza will open for the season. This will be the first time that guests can experience the luxury lifestyle concept following the announcement last autumn of the strategic partnership between 12.18. Investment Group and the hotel group. The 185-suite resort offers the height of laid-back luxury and Ibizan flair, according to the company.
Through the strategic partnership with 12.18., around 20 more hotels will be developed and opened in the near future, including a hotel in New York and a resort near Porto Cervo on the island of Sardinia. Furthermore, the 179-key Schlosshotel Fleesensee, in the heart of the German Mecklenburg Lake District, and Schloss Roxburghe, a 19th century Scottish manor house, which will have 75 rooms after completion of a separate extension, will join the portfolio.
“Overall, we are fully on track with our hotel openings—in the next 18 months alone, we will open 15 hotels with 3,888 rooms,” said Smura.
With a second and a third hotel on the Caribbean island of Cuba, Kempinski Hotels just extended its presence in Havana and in the Americas. While the new Gran Hotel Bristol is located one block from the Capitolio in the UNESCO world heritage site of Old Town Havana, the Cayo Guillermo Resort Kempinski is the first non-all-inclusive beach hideaway in a location approximately 310 miles east of the Cuban capital.
Future openings include the 95-room Kempinski Hotel Tbilisi in Georgia, and the 250-key The David Kempinski Tel Aviv in Israel.