The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has announced that it will operate a new hotel in Almaty, the former capital city of Kazakhstan.
The property is being developed by a subsidiary of Capital Partners as part of the 37-storey Esentai Tower; the tower is located within the mixed-use Esentai Park development project, which features a shopping mall, fitness club and residential complexes.
Ritz-Carlton president and chief operating officer Herve Humler said that the new hotel will serve international business travellers visiting Almaty, which is an important business centre in the region.
The Ritz-Carlton, Almaty, which is scheduled to open in late 2013, will have 145 Club and Suite rooms and will feature 10,000ft² of meeting facilities.
Capital Partners co-founder Burak Oymen said, "We believe that the partnership between Capital Partners and Ritz-Carlton, which has already worked so well in Moscow, will help create another exceptional hotel in an exceptional city."
Rich oil and natural reserves make Kazakhstan the largest economy in Central Asia, thus making the country attractive for various business investments.
The year 2013 will also see the opening of the Park Inn by Radisson in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, by the Rezidor Hotel Group.
Announced in October this year, the property will open in the first quarter of 2013 with 248 rooms; it will be the second hotel in Astana for the group, which already operates a Radisson Blu property.
Both Rezidor properties are owned by Incom Astana.