Bezalel Mizrachi is in an advanced stage of negotiations with global hotel company Marriot to manage the Shulamit Gardens hotels in Eilat and Ashkelon under the Ramada and Renaissance brand names.
Ramada and Renaissance Vice President for development visited Israel several times and met with the heads of the Shulamit Gardens hotels. Last month, Marriot bought the Ramada and Renaissance group from the Chang Group, owners of Hong Kong’s New World Hotel, for $1 billion. There are two hotels in Israel operating under that name, the Ramada in Tel Aviv, and the Renaissance in Jerusalem. The entry of Marriot into Eilat will be the first entry of the chain into a new hotel in Israel.
The hotel will have 284 rooms on 6 floors. There will be 3 restaurants, pools, catering halls, stores and public areas. The hotel is rated 4 stars but will be managed as a deluxe hotel under the Renaissance name. The hotel is scheduled to open in January 1998.
At the same time, negotiations are proceeding on obtaining the Ramada name for the Ashkelon Shulamit Gardens. The Ashkelon hotel has 270 rooms and is scheduled to undergo partial renovation.
Marriot has tried to enter the Israeli market for several years. Marriot opened contacts with the Tel Aviv Carlton, but talks were put on hold. Assessments are that after the purchase of Ramada and Renaissance, Marriot will not take over an additional hotel near the Tel Aviv Ramada, appealling to the same target population.