Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has signed a management agreement for a new hotel in Kochi. Schedule to open by the end of 2014, the new Mövenpick Hotel Kochi will be a modern hotel located on the national highway bypass road, 6km from the city centre and 25km from Kochi International Airport. The upscale hotel will offer 167 rooms, plus six F&B outlets bars including restaurants serving Asian and Keralan cuisine, a sky lounge bar and pub. The property will offer a range of facilities, including a swimming pool and health club, plus a multi-level spa with areas for Ayurvedic treatments, yoga and reflexology, plus a hammam, whirlpool and beauty salon. Business facilities will include an executive club lounge, meeting rooms and a banqueting hall capable of hosting events for up to 500 guests. “India has tremendous potential for further growth in the domestic and international travel segments,” said Andreas Mattmüller, Mövenpick’s chief operating officer for the Middle East & Asia. “Last year, revenues from domestic tourism rose by 5% and that figure is expected to increase to 8% during 2014. Considering this along with the country’s planned infrastructure developments, we’re keen to continue expanding our existing portfolio in India by including additional key cities,” he added. Mövenpick already operates the Mövenpick Hotel Bangalore and also plans to open the Mövenpick Dharamshala Resort & Spa, an 124-room resort in the Northern Indian Kangra Valley. Source: Travel Daily