Luxury hotel group Kempinski has taken over the management of a new premium hotel in Soma Bay, Egypt.

Kempinski and local tourism developers Abu Soma Development Company held an official signing ceremony in Kattameya Heights, marking the managerial handover of the new Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay.

The agreement heralds Kempinski’s first foray into the Egyptian hospitality market, and is likely to be followed in quick succession with a series of upscale resorts in select locations throughout the country.

The ceremony was presided over by Dr Farid Saad, chairman of Abu Soma Development Company, alongside Juerg Siegenthaler, senior vice president sales and marketing for Kempinski.

Siegenthaler said the group was bullish about prospects in Egypt. “As a rule, Kempinski is very selective about the markets and properties we add to our portfolio and we have identified Egypt as a strong destination with great potential in terms of tourism growth and quality of the offering.”

According to Business Monitor International, the Egyptian tourism industry is flourishing, with an impressive 9.8 million visitors recorded during the 2007 fiscal year, up 13 per cent on 2006.  Of particular importance to Kempinski, tourist room nights also saw a healthy increase of 13 per cnet, amounting to 96.3 million nights over the 2007 fiscal year. Projections for 2010 placed visitor numbers in excess of 11.2 million, which paves the way for additional hotel accommodation to cater to the influx of guests.

Siegenthaler said: “Premium developments such as Soma Bay hold great appeal for the European and Middle Eastern tourist markets, who are currently the predominant visitors to Egypt and also Kempinski’s clientele, therefore it makes good business sense for Kempinski to align with these ambitious new projects.”

Dr Farid Saad, part owner of the Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay who has superheaded the development of the peninsula  since the early 1990’s,  believes the relationship with Kempinski produce manifold benefits, saying: “To maintain a standard of unrivalled luxury and service, we aspire to include only the best operators within Soma Bay, and Kempinski is an outstanding example of this.  Becoming part of the group’s network of distinctive worldwide hotels gives a definite competitive edge to our entire development, and perfectly complements the other existing five star properties within the resort. Soma Bay aims to become the ultimate resort destination on the Red Sea”.

Part of the master-planned Soma Bay Peninsula, the 324 room Moorish-inspired hotel has a private, natural sandy beach which extends 400 m along the sea front, with access to excellent water sports and diving opportunities. Six restaurants and bars overlooking the Marina and Soma Bay, propose an inviting range of cuisines. An impressive landscaping of waterfalls, lagoons and pools complement the resort along with four floodlit tennis courts, two squash courts and a luxuriously appointed Health Club & Spa with a state-of-the-art gymnasium and a full range of wellness treatments. -TradeArabia News Service