04 August 2008

Upmarket eastern Med hotel chain created

Bosses of UK travel companies are among board members of a new company set up to develop upmarket hotels in eastern Mediterranean resorts.

Aquis Hotels and Resorts has acquired five properties and plans to increase its portfolio in the next 12 months.

Three properties have been acquired in Corfu, one in Kos and one in Crete.

Backed by international funds and capital investments, the company was created to develop properties in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Egypt.

The management board includes chairman David Howells, currently executive chairman of luxury operator Western & Oriental; youtravel.com chief executive John Kent and Amathus UK managing director Andreas Vasiliou.

Other board members include Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, deputy    director of the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research at Bournemouth University and solicitor Dr Nicholas Kouladis, a law lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire

Overseeing the day-to-day running of Aquis Hotels and Resorts is managing director Panagiotis Katsaridis, a former journalist on Greek television network ALPHA.

Katsaridis said: ââ¬ÅâœIn comparison with the western Mediterranean ââ¬' especially Spain - which already has developed hotel chains, hotel groups and franchise brands opportunities in the last decade, the eastern Mediterranean has been left behind in comparison, this is why weââ¬â¢ve launched Aquis Hotels and Resorts.

ââ¬ÅâœHaving the backing of such a knowledgeable and respected board means that I have all the very best industry and technical know-how at my finger tips.ââ¬~

The first two properties acquired by the company are in Corfu - the 625-bed Agios Gordios Hotel, which will become the Aquis Agios Giordios Hotel; and the Pelekas Beach hotel, with 640 beds, which will be renamed the Aquis Pelekas Beach Hotel.

The 1,500-bed Sandy Beach Resort in Agios Georgios in the south of Corfu will be rebranded Aquis Sandy Beach Resort.

All join the Aquis portfolio from November 1 and will be operational for summer 2009.

In Kos, the 900-bed Aqua Marine Resort is currently operating as Kos Aqua Beach Club in Tigaki, Kos. The four-star property will be included in Aquis Hotels & Resorts portfolio from November 1 for summer 2009 onwards.

The four-star Zorbas Village in Hersonissos in Crete will be rebranded Aquis Zorbas Village from November 1, 2011 and join the portfolio from summer 2012.

by Phil Davies 

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• Are these all inclusives?
  
  

  Nice to see 'upmarket' hotel chains coming to Corfu but it would be very nice if they were not the all inclusives which are killing off so many local businesses.

  By diana giannoulis, Wednesday, August 13, 2008