LeMeridien

Senegal Puts Five-Star Hotel Up For Sale

The African country of Senegal may have to sell its biggest hotel complex in order to pay debts. The five-star hotel was originally built and financed by the Saudi monarch King Fahd for the Islamic Conference summit in 1993 but is now operated as part of Starwood's Meridien brand. The hotel hosted a second Islamic Conference summit last year. After that summit the government found $147 million in unbudgeted spending and that it owed millions of dollars worth of debts to local businesses. Senegal's president, Abdoulaye Wade promised last fall to repay those debts by the end of January but many are still outstanding. Reuters reports that France agreed to lend Senegal 125 million euros to help pay off the debts and the International Monetary Fund offered a $75.6 million, one-year funding deal from its Exogenous Shocks Facility to help offset the rise in energy and food prices. It seems to have not been enough, a public tender published in Senegalese newspapers yesterday offered up the hotel complex to local or foreign investors.

The hotel is said to be one of the finest hotels in West Africa. It is perched on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean and offers water sports, deep-sea fishing, golf and tennis. Rates start around 200 euros a night.

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Tags: africa, hotel, le meridien, LeMeridien, senegal

Le Meridien Opens First Hotel In Croatia

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

I've written before about the burgeoning travel opportunities in Croatia, now a big hotel name, Le Méridien, is making it's home in Split, a scenic town along the Croatian coast. The Le Méridien Lav is taking over the resort previously known as the Hotel Lav, giving it a $150 million renovation. The resort has 364 guestrooms with 17 suites and a comparatively small (394 square feet) Presidential Suite. The beach-front resort has seven bars and dining areas including a fine-dining restaurant, The Spalatum, a brasserie and a casual pub. The hotel also has a tennis academy, private yacht marina, a casino and indoor and outdoor pools. The hotel has a a special opening rate of 122 euros per double room per night which includes daily buffet breakfast and one dinner for 2 which is available from now until February 28.

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Tags: croatia, hotel, le meridien, LeMeridien, split, tourism, vacation