The Hotel Times - June 2008 - (Page 8) TRANSACTIONAL FACTS Hyatt increases African presence with luxury golf and lifestyle estate Affiliates of Global Hyatt Corp. and MAK Hotel Holdings, a member of the M.A. Kharafi Group, announced the signing of a definitive management agreement for the 100-room Hyatt Regency Oubaai, due to open in George, South Africa, in early 2010. The resort will be Hyatt' s second hotel in South Africa, following Hyatt Regency Johannesburg, which opened in October 1995. The M.A. Kharafi Group acquired the Oubaai site, situated on 600 acres of prime real estate with sea and mountain views, in 2000. Spotlight EUROPE The Rome Cavalieri Hilton will reopen under The Waldorf=Astoria Collection banner this spring. Enhancements, include a third outdoor swimming pool and a state of the art Congress Centre, which will be developed in phases over the course of the year. The 370-room Rome Cavalieri is situated in a 15-acre park, with panoramic views of Rome' s historic center. Opened in 1963 and renovated at a cost of $50 million, the hotel has become synonymous with hospitality firsts: it has the largest conference facility of any five-star hotel in Continental Europe with a capacity for 5,500 delegates, and it is the only hotel in Italy to boast a Michelin three star restaurant, La Pergola. W Hotels Worldwide marks its entry into Europe with the opening of W Istanbul. A tower amidst gilded domes and minarets, W Istanbul embodies the multicultural and financial center of Istanbul. Owned by Akaretler Otel Isletmeciligi ve Turizm A.S., W Istanbul will serve as the centerpiece of the Ottoman Row Houses. W Istanbul features 134 guestrooms including 26 suites, the W Living Room experience, chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten' s Spice Market restaurant and a signature spa. MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA Atlanta-based America' s Best Franchising signed its first master licensee for portions of the world' s second-largest and second-most populous continent. MIDC Ltd. of Nigeria became the licensee for America' s Best Inns & Suites in Togo, Benin, Liberia, Sierra Leone, St. Thomas Principe, Abidjan, Tanzania by Lake Victoria, and Zanzibar. The two initial projects for MIDC and Obire are in Nigeria± one is a 25-room conversion on top of an office building adjacent to a golf course in the business district of Lagos, while the other is the re-branding of a 220-room hotel and 3,000-square-foot conference center located near a wildlife refuge. This project will also involve the construction of a water park. C O M P I L E D BY J A S O N Q. F R E E D A S S O C I AT E E D I TO R Want your deal to be listed in transactions? Please include the following items: the property or properties involved; the buyer(s); the seller(s); and the purchase price if applicable. Send releases to Jason Q. Freed, associate editor at jfreed@questex.com. 8 The Hotel Times June 2008 www.TheHotelTimes.com GLOBAL HYATT CORP. http://www.TheHotelTimes.com
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