Corinthia Hotels is forging ahead with plans to expand the brand worldwide and is currently researching opportunities in Paris, Moscow, Rome, and New York. This follows the announcement early this year of plans to open a five-star deluxe hotel in London on the site of the original Metropole building on Northumberland Avenue. The development of the Corinthia Lake Resort & Spa in Romania (2011) and the Corinthia Budapest Gate & Residences in Hungary (2012) are both on schedule, while plans for the construction of a second hotel in Libya are at an advanced stage.

Opened in 2009: In July Chi Hotels & Resorts, exclusive operator of the Corinthia Hotels brand worldwide and of the Wyndham and Ramada Plaza brands in Europe, Middle East and Africa, opened the 351-bedroom Tiran Hotel, phase one of the Corinthia Beach Resort Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt. The second phase, the adjoining Tiran Residence and the 200-bedroom deluxe five-star Corinthia Resort Hotel is expected to be completed in 2010.

2009 Refurbishment Update. The 400-bedroom Corinthia Hotel St. Petersburg (formerly the Nevskij Palace Hotel) re-opened in May following the completion of a 100 million euros extension and refurbishment programme. The hotel now offers the largest meeting space in the City and a new Executive Wing with private lounge, 107 executive suites, bedrooms and Presidential Suite. At the Corinthia Hotel Lisbon, a new 4 million euros Malo Spa opened in October providing guests and local residents with 13 elegant treatment rooms offering a full range of health and beauty treatments plus non-invasive medical procedures. There’s indoor pool with solarium, gym, spinning room and hairdresser.

In Malta, the Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa, the first hotel to fly the Corinthia flag when it opened in 1968, has completed a total refurbishment programme. The hotel has won the coveted 2009 World Travel Awards title of ‘Malta’s Leading Hotel’.

Corinthia’s Joint Venture With Wyndham Hotel Group: In addition to the Corinthia Hotels that form part of the Wyndham Grand Collection, CHI also plan to operate a number of Wyndham and Ramada branded hotels that are currently under development, these include the Wyndham Port Lixus Resort in Morocco due to open in 2011, the Ramada Abu Dhabi Mafraq opening 2010, the Ramada Abu Dhabi Beach opening 2011 and the Ramada Hotel & Suites – Jumeira Beach, Dubai opening 2010.