Hotel Online
News for the Hospitality Executive

advertisement
 

Nakheel Hotels Investing $375 million in Exchange for a 50%
Interest in the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Resort
.

MIAMI, April 9, 2008 - Fontainebleau Resorts, LLC, a privately-held Las Vegas-based resort and casino developer, today announced that Nakheel Hotels, a division of Dubai-based property developer Nakheel, best known for developing The Palm islands and The World, has invested $375 million in exchange for a 50% interest in the Company's iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach resort.

Fontainebleau Resorts, in partnership with Nakheel Hotels, is re-creating the legendary Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel with a spectacular $500 million renovation. The Miami Beach project is expected to open in the second half of 2008.

"We are extremely pleased to have a world-class organization such as Nakheel, as our partner in our flagship property," said Jeffrey Soffer, Fontainebleau Resorts' Executive Chairman and majority equity holder. "This strategic alliance with Nakheel Hotels is the beginning of a larger relationship that will lead to other major growth opportunities around the world and advance our goal of creating a new standard within the hospitality industry."

On 17 acres of oceanfront, the Fontainebleau historically has been regarded as the crown jewel of Miami Beach resorts. The "new" resort will include more than 1,500 luxury guest rooms and suites, a 40,000 square foot European-style spa, multiple marquee restaurants, a signature nightclub and ultra-lounge, lush poolscape and approximately 200,000 square feet of meeting, convention and ballroom facilities.

"This transaction provides Nakheel with a premier entrance into the Miami resort market, via the world renowned Fontainebleau," commented Joe Sita, Nakheel Hotels CEO. "Jeff Soffer has a tremendous record of developing some of the most exciting tourist and residential projects in the U.S., and the Fontainebleau fits perfectly into Nakheel's strategy of investing in the best assets in the most important markets worldwide. We are always seeking to diversify our portfolio and add to our existing investments in North America, Asia and Europe. Miami, as one of the Unites States' major gateways, has been a key target, which we are pleased to have now gained."

Leveraging the rich legacy of the brand, Fontainebleau Resorts is also building the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, a $2.9 billion, 63-story destination resort and entertainment complex situated on 25 acres on the Las Vegas Strip. The Las Vegas project, expected to open in Fall 2009, will borrow from Morris Lapidus, the innovative architect who designed the curvilinear Fontainebleau in Miami Beach more than a half-century ago.

Nakheel is one of the world's largest privately held real estate developers, and a key player in transforming Dubai into a world-class destination for business and tourism. Nakheel is developing a broad portfolio of projects in Dubai across a range of sectors -- residential, commercial, retail, and leisure. Its developments spread across more than two billion sq ft of land and will provide more than 3 million homes in Dubai. When completed, Nakheel's waterfront projects will add 1,000km of waterfront to Dubai.

For more information on Fontainebleau Hotels, contact: Jennifer Risi, Weber Shandwick Worldwide, 212-445-8375 / e-mail: [email protected].

For more information on Nakheel, contact: Miranda Rowe, Dan Klores Communications, 212-981-5247 / [email protected].

About Fontainebleau Resorts LLC
Fontainebleau Resorts, LLC, a privately-held Las Vegas based resort and casino developer, was established in 2005 to create the "next generation" of hotels and resorts around the world. Fontainebleau Resorts was founded by Executive Chairman Jeffrey Soffer, Chief Executive Officer Glenn Schaeffer and Executive Vice President Sonny Kotite, who negotiated the transaction for the Company. The Company is currently renovating the legendary Fontainebleau Miami Beach as well as setting a new standard of resort in Las Vegas with the creation of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas (Fall 2009). Further information can be found at http://www.fontainebleau.com/ 

About Nakheel
Nakheel is one of the world's largest privately held real estate developers, and a key player in realizing the vision of Dubai for the 21st century: creating a world class destination for business and tourism. Nakheel currently has a portfolio of developments, across a range of sectors, including residential, commercial, retail and leisure. Nakheel's visionary projects include The Palm, a trilogy of man-made islands that take the shape of a cultural icon; The World, a collection of private islands that form a map of the continents of the world off the coast of Dubai; and Waterfront, the world's largest city built from scratch. Spreading across 2 billion sq ft of land, Nakheel's projects aim to redefine the concept of property development. Further information can be found at http://www.nakheelmediacentre.com/ 

About Nakheel Hotels
Nakheel Hotels is an integrated hotel development, investment and asset management business with investments under management currently in excess of $3 billion. Nakheel Hotels goal is to deliver exceptional returns through the acquisition and active management of luxury hotels in key gateway cities and resorts around the world, together with strategic equity investments and investment in budget hotels in key growth markets. Building and leveraging relationships with key strategic partners is central to the company's investment strategy. Investments include the Mandarin Oriental and W Union Square hotels in New York, Hotel Washington in Washington DC and significant equity stakes in Kerzner, operator of the Atlantis and One&Only brands, and International Hotel Investments plc, owner of a portfolio of hotels in Europe and North Africa operated under the Corinthia brand. Nakheel Hotels also has significant investments in the budget hotel sector, holding the master franchise rights for easyHotels.com in the MENA region with the first hotels under development in Dubai, and an investment in Tune Hotels in the ASEAN region.
 

.
Contact:

Fontainebleau Hotels
Jennifer Risi, Weber Shandwick Worldwide
+1-212-445-8375
[email protected]
 

.
.
Also See: Nakheel Hotel & Resorts Partners with Jumeirah Group; Jumeirah Will Have Operating and Management Responsibilities for Trump International Hotel & Tower, The Palm Jumeirah / July 2006
Howard C. Karawan Named Chief Operating Officer, Fontainebleau Resorts, LLC; Will Oversee Fontainebleau Las Vegas and Fontainebleau Miami Beach / September 2007
.

 


To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.OnlineSearch
Home | Welcome| Hospitality News | Classifieds| One-on-One |
Viewpoint Forum | Industry Resources | Press Releases
Please contact Hotel.Onlinewith your comments and suggestions.