The European hotel chain Movenpick is expanding its operations in the Palestinian Authority (PA), and will manage three hotels under its logo in Ramallah, Bethlehem and Gaza. The chain also operates in Israel. Movenpick is the first international chain to operate both in Israel and the Palestinian Authority on a major scale.
Movenpick has signed management agreements with three hotels in Israel, in Ashkelon, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and has been designated to manage the Israel Land Development hotel chain, when the deal to sale control of the chain to a European investment fund, which is currently in arbitration, is completed.
Last week, Movenpick signed an agreement to manage a new hotel that will be built in Ramallah. The 4-star-plus, 8-story hotel will have 187 rooms and suites, and will include cinemas, restaurants, a health center, swimming pools, a business club and conference rooms.
The hotel is being built at an investment of $18 million (excluding land costs), on a plot adjacent to the PA legislative building. Its scheduled opening is the final quarter of 2001.
Another agreement was signed to manage a hotel in central Bethlehem, which will be part of an integrated complex containing a 120-room hotel, a commercial center, a 220-car covered parking lot and tourist attractions.
The center, which is in the advanced stages of construction at an investment of $25 million, is located adjacent to the Church of Nativity.
Parallel advanced negotiations are being held to manage a recreation hotel on Gaza beach. The hotel, owned by the PA, is in the planning stage, and is intended to have 250 rooms. Four hotels are currently operating in Gaza.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on 1 August 2000