Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the Canadian luxury hotelier in which Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding Company owns a 47.5 percent stake in, is to add a third property to its collection in Morocco.
The company has unveiled plans to open a new property in the resort town of Agadir on the Atlantic coast in 2016.
Four Seasons Resort Agadir will consist of 132 rooms and suites in addition to 56 private residences, set on 18 hectares of prime beachfront within the Taghazout Bay area.
The planned hotel is part of the Taghazout Bay development, owned by Akwa Group, which will include several hotels, two golf courses, residential properties and a central village and medina – the traditional pedestrian quarter common in North African cities.
The new resort is expected to attract a mix of domestic and international travellers drawn to the location and its reputation as a ‘winter sun’ and surfing destination.
President hotel operations, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Christopher Norton, signed a formal agreement with Ali Wakrim, vice president of Akwa Group, in the presence of Youssef Guennoun, general Manager development pole – Akwa Group and Tourism Minister, Lahcen Haddad, in Ain Sebaa, Casablanca, where the ownership group is based.
On signing the deal Norton commented: “As Four Seasons expands its global footprint we continue to seek growth opportunities that align the right partner and the right location.
“Four Seasons Resort Agadir will materialise from this winning combination and continue the more than 50 year legacy of Four Seasons highly customised service.”
Vice president of Akwa Group, Wakrim, added: “The arrival of Four Seasons, one of the world’s most prestigious hotel brands, in Agadir signals the growing attraction and importance of this area for both regional and international travellers.”
With an investment of close to $120m, the creation of 600 jobs, of which 300 will be direct, this partnership will serve Akwa Group’s role and ongoing contribution as a lever of national economic development,” he added.
Akwa Group has confirmed that the architects assigned to the project will be HKS London, which has worked on similar projects in resort destinations in the Bahamas, Hawaii and Sharm-E-Sheikh.
The new Four Seasons Resort Agadir will be the third Four Seasons property in Morocco following Four Seasons Resort Marrakech which opened in June 2011 and the announcement of Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca, which is due to open in late 2014.
