Kempinski Hotels holds the key to luxurious holidays in Middle East and Africa

Europe's oldest luxury hotel group is welcoming this year five additional exciting new destinations to its impressive portfolio of 10 leading hotels and resorts across the Middle East and Africa - each distinctive in design and appeal, but providing the same levels of luxury and exclusivity for which the Kempinski brand has been renowned for.

Last month, the 325-room Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay resort opened along Egypt's Red Sea Riviera, boasting Moorish-style architecture and a variety of leisure facilities and attractions, including an exclusive 400 metre private beach area, a massive spa and health club complex, an aqua park setting with multi-level swimming pool and a lazy river, as well as a championship golf course with breathtaking views of the Red Sea.

Designed and furnished with Oriental style and a touch of Western elegance, all guestrooms and suites are equipped with flat-screen satellite TV, individually adjustable air conditioning and marble-tiled bathrooms.

Next month, two more exotic destinations will be added to Kempinski's must-experience collection of hotels and resorts with the highly anticipated opening of Kempinski Hotel Aqaba in Jordan and the Bilila Lodge Kempinski in Tanzania.

"These are exciting times for Kempinski as it shows our unrelenting commitment to achieving unrivalled leadership in the hospitality within the region,"

said Ulrich T. Eckhardt, President, Kempinski Hotels Middle East and Africa.

Opening June 2009, the new and highly anticipated Kempinski Hotel Aqaba boasts 201 luxury rooms and suites all with sea views, a variety of international cuisine, world class MICE facilities and a stunning spa with a number of innovative signature treatments on the menu. "This is our second property on the golden shores and azure waters of the Red Sea and we're excited to welcome tourists from across the region and beyond to indulge in a new wellness experience as well as an exhilarating holiday within this historical and culturally-rich destination," continued Eckhardt.

Aqaba offers year round sunshine and some of the best diving and coral reefs in the world. The contrast in scenery makes this city one of the most beautiful in Jordan with its mountainous backdrop and white sandy beaches fringed with palm trees. Guests can also enjoy an array of organized tours to popular tourist attractions, such as Petra, Wadi Rum and the Bedouin Camps.

Back to exotic Africa, the Bilila Lodge Kempinski is likewise set for much awaited opening in June - the only global hotel group to be permitted to set up a property in the Serengeti National Park, one of Tanzania's UNESCO World Heritage sites, Bilila Lodge Kempinski is surrounded by one of the most important tourism and cultural landmark in the country.

With just 74 elegant rooms including two private villas, created in a simple yet luxurious style that enhances the outstanding natural beauty of the hotel's stunning setting, Bilila Lodge Kempinski perfectly combines the intimacy of a lodge with the facilities expected of a much larger hotel, such as an infinity pool overlooking the grasslands and an Anantara Spa. Due to strict building controls in the National Park, this will be the largest lodge ever built in the Serengeti area.

"An amazing property within a breathtaking destination that should be on every adventure-seeker's must visit list, yet another example of Kempinski's dedication to present pioneering exotic destinations. Our growing portfolio in Africa affirms our commitment not only to the expansion of Kempinski in the area, but also to the growth and development of tourism in Africa,"

said Eckhardt.

Determined to put its mark in the safari industry, Kempinski partnered with strong multimedia experts and prepared a road trip to the lodge through the Serengeti uncovering fascinating landscape, extraordinary wildlife, undreamt-of adventures and fabulous scenery combined with a lavish Kempinski luxury experience. The trip will be visually broadcasted live on the internet through a dedicated website in still and motion pictures recording this expedition in some of the richest un-walked paths of the world.

Returning to the Middle East, the Kempinski Residence, Palm Jumeirah is due to open by the end of the year with 150 serviced apartments and 28 suites featuring top notch five star residence standards. The residence is the first component of a whole complex expected to open in phases during 2010 featuring a five star Kempinski Hotel, signature villas and spacious business and leisure facilities on Palm Jumeirah's outer crest.

Kempinski is has just signed a management agreement to operate a Nile front five-star hotel in the Egyptian capital. Kempinski Hotel El Nil, Cairo is in its final stages of construction and outfitting and is expected to serve its first guests by November this year to mark the birth of a new hospitality star by the mighty river Nile.

Moreover, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be home to a second Kempinski Hotel after its announcements of Kempinski Hotel, Jeddah last year. Kempinski Burj Rafal, Riyadh is the group's second property in the kingdom and is scheduled to open in March 2012. Located at a mixed-use tower along the King Fahad highway, just 33 kilometres from Riyadh International Airport, the hotel will boast 300 luxury guest rooms and suites, two restaurants, three cafes, conference facilities, ballroom for up to 200 people, two spas and wellness centre.

Ulrich Eckhardt, expressed his pride and delight that "Kempinski is marking this year a 50% growth in portfolio in this region alone, and is witnessing similar growth in other regions around the world as well. This confirms our dedication to steadily deliver luxury and quality with traditional hospitality around the world."

Being mindful of the talent and human resources requirements on short, mid and long term, Kempinski is investing heavily on recruitment and training for its most valuable resource: its people. With 53 properties due to open worldwide between now and 2012, the company is following a two-track approach to talent and training, ensuring that existing staff are trained to the highest standards and that they are increasing their efforts in the search for new talent, identifying Kempinski's next generation of leaders.

Bannered by Kempinski's existing portfolio of luxury properties in exotic destinations and in support of improved relations with travel agencies, procedures have been created with the aim to continually inspire and excite travel partners to give them further reasons to continue recommending the unique Kempinski experience to their clients, therefore Kempinski has recently unveiled its partnership with Worldwide Payment Systems (WPS) to automate its data and commission payments processing.

This platform will allow travel agency bookings for a Kempinski Hotel to received personalized payments, as well as have online access to track payments, generate receipts and assist with reporting.