MUNICH — The Kempinski Group says it expects to have 100+ luxury hotels in operation around the globe by 2021, part of the company’s international expansion plans.

Kempinski is Europe’s oldest luxury hotel chain. In the next 12 months the company will open nine new hotels with a total of 1,961 rooms and suites. Three of the hotels are in the Caribbean – in Cuba and Dominica, to be specific – plus one each in Tel Aviv, Tbilisi, Bangkok, Guangzhou, Brazzaville and Almaty.

A further seven hotels with 2,404 rooms are currently under construction.

In addition, the Kempinski Hotels portfolio will be complemented by a hotel in New York for the first time in the company’s 122-year history. The latter is part of a strategic partnership signed a few days ago with the 12.18. Investment Group, which will develop and open 20 7Pines Kempinski Hotels together with Kempinski until 2022.

Kempinski Group says the strategic orientation of the expansion in the future will not only be based on management contracts, but also the acquisition of hotel properties.

“In particular, properties that may be extensively renovated and then repositioned under the group’s own brands will be favoured,” says the company.

Up until now Kempinski has been a hotel operator. Only the deluxe hotel on Maximillianstrasse in Munich, the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski, is owned by the company.

“By acquiring real estate, we benefit from the increase in value instead of paying money for management contracts,” says Martin R. Smura, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board. “We have set ourselves ambitious goals to expand the portfolio of Kempinski Hotels with additional flagship hotels. This selective growth is focused on acquiring highly regarded hotels that will make a valuable contribution to our brand. We therefore select only those hotels that meet our brand values and thus the highest quality standards of our guests.”