Fairmont outlines Asian expansion

Travellers from North America will soon see a lot more of the familiar Fairmont hotel logo as the chain seeks to establish a  foothold in a number of cities in Asia and in the Middle East. From this year until 2013, Fairmont has over 20 new hotels in the pipeline in locations such as Beijing and Shanghai in China, Abu Dhabi and Dubai in UAE, Muscat in Oman, Hyderabad in India, Makati in the Philippines and Cotai Strip in Macau. “Our focus in the next two to three years will be to diversify our portfolio by adding a hotel in key gateway cities and international hubs," said Thomas Storey, president of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. "Furthermore, we will leverage management opportunities in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa where most of the world’s hotel developments are taking place." A home-grown North American hotel chain, Fairmont has more than 50 hotels, many of which have earned distinction for their iconic architecture. The original Fairmont Hotel opened in San Francisco in 1907, two years after the famous earthquake that destroyed much of the city. Expanding in Asia and the Middle East is a key milestone for Fairmont, which still has only a handful of hotels in these regions. This is set to change with two openings in China set for this year: the 222-room Fairmont Beijing, located near landmarks such as  the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square and the 210-room Fairmont Yangcheng Lake, Kunshan in Jiangsu Province. Fairmont first entered Asia when Raffles the Plaza was rebranded the Fairmont Singapore Its Middle East presence leaps to four properties with Fairmont Abu Dhabi Creek slated for a debut within the year. It is a 369-room urban beachfront resort. There are Fairmonts in Cairo (Fairmont Heliopolis and Fairmont Towers, Heliopolis) and in Dubai (Fairmont Dubai). Other hotel developments in the pipeline between 2010 and 2013 include the following: Makkah Clock Royal Tower in Makkah, Saudi Arabia; Fairmont Palm Hotel & Resort in Dubai, UAE; Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, China; Fairmont Makati in the Philippines; Fairmont Hyderabad in India, Fairmont The Wave in Muscat; Fairmont Haitang Bay Resort in Hainan, China; and, Fairmont Cotai Strip in Macau. For more information, visit www.fairmont.com Gigi Onag