Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced it has executed a long term agreement with Meadow Star Investments 28 (Pty) Ltd of Sandton, Johannesburg, to manage the newly named Le Méridien Kruger Park Golf Resort & Spa near Hazyview in Mpumalanga province, in South Africa.
Scheduled to open 1 November 2009, in time for the Soccer World Cup in 2010, the property is planned to be part of an estimated US$ 172 Million (ZAR 1.2 Billion) tourism project outside of Hazyview, in Mpumalanga province which name means “the place where the sun rises” in Swazi.
Le Méridien Kruger Park Golf Resort & Spa will feature 180 luxury rooms, suites and a presidential suite, a selection of themed dining outlets and approximately 9350sm state of the art meeting and business facilities. Guests will relish the opportunity to pamper themselves at a health spa centre, enjoy solar heated indoor and outdoor pools and a gymnasium. There will be no shortage of entertainment: diversion will include a number of indigenous craft market shops, a cultural centre with amphitheatre for outdoor shows, helipad, a kids club, library and games room, a wild animal conservation enclosure, an equestrian centre and a mountain biking track.
An 18-hole championship golf course designed by the Johannesburg based DDV Golf Course Design, a golfing academy with a driving range, putting greens and a clubhouse are also part of the plan. The project will include a residential component, with approximately 400 upscale homes on individual stands of 1000m² each. Design management for Le Méridien Kruger Golf Resort & Spa will be provided by Boogertman and Partners, the award winning Architects of Johannesburg. As this tourism project is situated within fruit farming and nature belts, the hotel and housing part will be designed to fit into an eco environment and will represent a modern version of the surrounding farming architecture.
This is the latest addition to Le Méridien portfolio since Starwood acquired the brand in November 2005 and represents the first entry of Le Méridien in South Africa and Southern Africa.
The 220 ha resort, with a farming history dating back to 1898, is situated next to the Sabie River and is within 10km of the Kruger National Park, the world’s largest game reserve, and a short drive to the world’s third largest Blyde River Canyon. The Mpumalanga International Airport is also conveniently a 30 minutes drive away. Le Méridien brand, currently represented by approximately 120 properties in 52 countries, was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in November 2005. With close to 70 percent of its properties located in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, Le Méridien provides a strong international complement to Starwood’s primarily North American holdings. Plans call for dynamic expansion of Le Méridien-branded hotels and resorts within the next five years, concentrating in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia-Pacific, including destinations such as India, Thailand and China.