Kempinski is to open its first hotel in Bahrain in 2008 and its third in Russia in 2009. The five-star Bahrain property, in association with MAF Hospitality LLC, will have 196 rooms and suites and a spa and fitness centre. It is part of the Bahrain City Centre development in the Seef district of Manama City, which also includes a new shopping mall and 40 new restaurants and bars.
Kempinski senior vice president Middle East & Africa explained the company's latest move: "Bahrain's economy is one of the fastest growing in the Gulf and its excellent infrastructure make the country an attractive choice for the many multinational companies who have set up operations here."
The hotel group, who manages the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski (Moscow) and the Kempinski Hotel Moika 22 (St Petersburg), is also set to open in Nizhny Novgorod. The city, which from 1932 to 1990 was known as Gorky after the writer Maxim Gorky, is thought by Kempinski to have one of Russia's most progressive economies. The hotel will be the first five-star accommodation in the city, and is 30 minutes from Nizhny Novgorod International Airport.