Hotel By The City & The Sea What: W Hotels aims to make its upcoming Spanish W opening its flagship property for Western Europe.

The Dirt: Starwood Hotels is forging ahead with growth, recession or not, with big plans for one of Europe’s most cultural cities on the Mediterranean. Anyone that doubts Barcelona likely hasn’t been. Barcelona has an amazing soccer team, FC Barcelona, art from legends Gaudi, Picasso and Joan Miro, great dining, fabulous clubs, a beach on [...]

The next Dubai? What: The government of Jordan is at work developing a city in the south that promises luxury and Kempinski will soon unveil its local hotel.

The Dirt: Is this image how you pictured a posh hotel in the Middle East? Welcome to the southern most region of Jordan, where European hotel giant Kempinski is among the many hospitality giants joining the locals in developing what promises to be a popular upscale destination, Aqaba. Kempinkski plans to open Kempinski Hotel Aqaba [...]

MidEast Property Orgy Ends, Currency Battle BeginsWhat: Dropping oil prices and a global credit crisis is hitting the Middle East too, where some states are considering a common currency.

The Dirt:Cost cutting in a world where five-star hotels are the norm is a scary sign. The folks in the Middle Eastern city of Dubai are cutting costs and bringing the real estate development spending spree to halt, having already asked Abu Dhabi for help. Some of the folks in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) [...]

If You Build It, Will They Come?Dubai’s Latest Splurges What:The pioneer of modernity in the Middle East surges on with development plans, despite rocky financial markets.

The Dirt:While Americans rejoice the end of the presidential campaign and the election of the first non-white president, the financial markets continue to falter, including those in the Middle East. Though the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman) states are sitting on hefty energy resources, dropping oil prices [...]

The All Inclusive Airport Space + Airline Exclusivity + Luxury Shopping = The Modern Terminal What:Airports are quickly conforming to consumer interests with many major cities unveiling terminals almost entirely devoted to retail space, often via a collaboration with a specific airline carrier.

The Dirt: The economic crisis and volatile energy prices have airport owners toying with new ways to bring in additional streams of income, mainly with high-end dining and shopping options. Such is the case with new terminals unveiled in 2008 in three popular destinations: London, England, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and New York. In March, [...]

A Melting Pot Musician Mixing Arabic Sounds, Hip-Hop Beats & Europop EnergyWhat:Scandinavia-based Persian artist Arash is gaining ground around the globe, with a huge following in Russia.

The Dirt:ArashBased in Sweden, Iranian singer Arash is gaining popularity around world after just three years on the scene, with a sound that epitomizes the notion of a melting pot. The pop star mixes elements of hip-hop, dance and contemporary Middle Eastern beats for a sound that begs repeating and can be applied to a [...]

Retail & Celebrity Charity News September 29

Target has pledged $1 million in cash and product to provide assistance for those affected by Hurricanes Ike, Gustav, and other storms that have hit the southern United States. The donation, which includes food and comfort kits, blankets, pillows and toiletries, is being divided among a number of relief agencies including the American Red Cross, [...]

The Ramadan Special Middle East Hotels Aim To Profit From the Holy Holiday What: The month of September marks an important Muslim holiday, Ramadan, an apparently, a big source of income for hotels in Muslim nations.

The Dirt: While most American families prepare for the holiday weekend, Muslim families will be getting ready for the holy month of Ramadan. Commencing around September 1, the holiday obliges practicing Muslims to fast during sunrise to sunset for one month. Despite being one of the most important holidays, it seems to some businesses, every [...]

International News August 4

Sixteen Chinese policemen have been killed in an explosives attack on a border post in Xinjiang, a region populated by the Muslim Uighur people, the state media organization Xinhua reports. The two attackers were captured in a raid near the city of Kashgar, some 2,500 miles from Beijing, Xinhua reports. Occurring just four days before [...]

European Hotelier Looks To Middle East

China is all over the news between politics and the development craze inspired by the upcoming Olympic games. However, institutional investors know that in addition to China and India, the last haven for emerging markets investments lays in the region abbreviated as MENA—the Middle East and North Africa. Enter Kempinski Hotels. They are certainly not [...]