Morocco Press enquiries Soumia CHRAIBI/ Communication and Public Relations Director Mazagan Beach Resort Kerzner International 24000 El Jadida, Morocco soumia.chraibi@kerzner.com Rita Tazi/ Communication and Public Relations Assistant Director
For more informations, visit the Web Site www.mazaganbeachresort.com 2009
Summary •
Local Geographical
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Mazagan Beach Resort opening October 2009 Kerzner International launches a brand new tourist destination in Morocco
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Accomodation
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Restaurants
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Casino and Night Club
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Spa & Fitness
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Golf Course
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Residential
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Family Facilities and Kids Clubs
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Conference & Meeting Facilities
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Mazagan Beach Resort,
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Environment Friendly
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Biography of Sol Kerzner , Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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At the head of Mazagan Beach Resort, Marie Beatrice LALLEMAND
Geographical Location
Mazagan Beach Resort opening October 2009
Kerzner International launches a brand new tourist destination in Morocco Opening this autumn, Mazagan Beach Resort is a unique coastal destination resort overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, located 90km south of Casablanca in EL Jadida. This previously unexplored region of Morocco benefits from an all year round temperate climate and is just three hours away from London. The resort will offer a brand new golf and spa destination on the Plan Azure.
Mazagan Beach Resort is located next to the traditional Portuguese port towns of El Jadida (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and Azemmour, where guests can get a flavour of the true Morocco by shopping at the food and crafts markets, exploring the souks and perfectly preserved medina while getting lost and found in the maze of narrow lanes.
With its idyllic location right on the sandy beach, Mazagan Beach Resort will encompass a 250-hectare site including an 18-hole golf course designed by Gary Player, a 7km stretch of beach, luxury boutiques, eight restaurants, the only casino in a 200km radius, a nightclub, a spa and one of the largest conference centres in the region.
Created by Kerzner International, a leading international developer and operator of destination resorts, the stunning new 500-room resort is already accepting reservations. Designed to capture the essence of traditional Moroccan architecture, the resort will incorporate modern elements associated with Kerzner's world-class resorts.
Following an investment of 3.1 billion Moroccan Dirhams (MAD) - approximately ÂŁ260million - the exciting project is set to develop the region of Mazagan and the Plan Azur into a leading tourist destination in Morocco and will provide employment for over 1,200 local people.
ACCOMMODATION Set around a magnificent internal courtyard, the resort’s 500 rooms, suites and private Club Lounge boast unspoilt views of the ocean, lagoons, golf course, landscaped gardens and stunning swimming pool.
Every room features Moroccan inspired decor with elegant bathrooms and modern facilities including satellite television and Wi-Fi.
Many of the rooms can
interconnect to provide larger spaces for families. Accommodation is across four levels of the resort and includes: •
234 King Deluxe rooms (42m²)
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234 Deluxe Twin rooms with two queen size beds (44m²)
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20 Mazagan Suites (82m²)
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8 Executive Suites (140m²)
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2 Presidential Suites (231m²)
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2 Royal Suites (342m²) which are located on the top floor of the front corners of the building overlooking the ocean
RESTAURANTS With eight restaurants, plus bars and lounges to suit every taste, Mazagan Beach Resort combines the best of world cuisine with the variety of Moroccan gastronomy. Guests can sip mint tea in the Lobby Lounge, indulge in a delicious pastry by the pool and snack on filled dates and baklava throughout the afternoon. •
Mediterranean Restaurant- Olives – located at the heart of the resort overlooking the landscaped gardens and pool, this restaurant serves a wide range of Italian and Mediterranean dishes and features a large terrace
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Fish & Seafood Restaurant –Sel de Mer - fresh fish specialities grilled on the BBQ and Spanish specialities such as mouthwatering tapas, traditional gazpacho and paellas.
Fresh
Portuguese Peri-Peri chicken is available from the rotisserie •
Market Place – Middle-Eastern, North African, Indian and Asian buffets, where guests can choose exactly how their meat or fish is cooked on one of three grills
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Moroccan Restaurant – Morjana- tajines, seafood pastilles, kebabs and vegetarian couscous are served alongside delicious pastries. A selection of fine Moroccan wines are also on offer. Open evenings only
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Club Lounge – this private lounge for ‘Club’ guests is located on the top floor and enjoys spectacular ocean views. breakfast, snacks and drinks throughout the day
It serves
SPA & FITNESS Nestled between the resort’s palm and orange trees, The Mazagan Spa is a haven dedicated to relaxation of the body and mind. Managed by ESPA, the spa features 12 treatment rooms overlooking the ocean, including two couples rooms and an additional luxury VIP two-person suite. A wide range of ESPA facial and body treatments are on offer and an authentic Moroccan hammam is also on site.
Fitness fans can work out in the fully equipped fitness centre, attend one of the daily pilates and yoga classes or try out some of the watersports offered at the resort including surfing, windsurfing, fishing and jet skiing.
Nordic walking, tennis,
horseriding, cookery and craft classes will also all be on offer.
CASINO AND NIGHTCLUB The Mazagan Beach Resort Casino will have over 400 slot machines and 50 gaming tables (including roulette, black jack, punto banco and poker) and will be the only casino in a 200km radius. Guests can then dance until the early hours in the Sanctuary Nightclub, designed by New York architect Jeffrey Beers, which features numerous bars and lounge areas and can host up to 1,000 guests. GOLF COURSE The new Mazagan Beach Resort also brings to the region a fantastic golf proposition, with an 18 hole, par 72 golf course designed by Gary Player. The course stretches along the beach and sand dunes on the ocean edge and is managed by the world-renowned golf management company, Troon Golf.
The Clubhouse comprises a restaurant and bar, a magnificent terrace overlooking the ocean, a pro-shop and dressing rooms with lockers.
RESIDENTIAL 67 private villas are also located in the grounds, close to the course, with unrestricted views of the green and the ocean. These villas are for purchase only.
FAMILY FACILITIES AND KIDS CLUBS The Kids Club (3-11 year olds) and Teens Club (12-17 year olds) are run by a specialised team that organise a varied daily programme to ensure younger guests make the most of the resort facilities, including the beach and a dedicated swimming pool (open between 9:30 - 22:30).
The Teens Club provides a range of sports and electronic games as well as giant screens for movie fans and discos in the evenings (21:00 – 23:00).
The Baby Club is open to babies from three months upwards from 10:00am – 18:00pm. Babysitters are available outside of these hours.
CONFERENCE & MEETING FACILITIES
Mazagan Beach Resort boasts an impressive 2,000m² conference centre that can be adapted to all types of events, meetings, seminars, board meetings, business events and weddings.
It comprises a 1,130m² plenary room that can be divided into three separate function rooms of 375m², plus a 277m² sub-plenary room which is also divisible into three 92 m² rooms. In addition, there is an 84m² boardroom, numerous sub-committee rooms seating from 10-12 people, as well as a spacious lounge and exterior gardens. The conference centre can accommodate up to 1,300 people theatre style and 1,100 people for a sit down meal.
Excellent incentive programmes can also be devised thanks to the wide selection of activities offered within the resort and locally. Emphasis is placed on Moroccan culture with a program of excursions in the vicinity. Mazagan Beach Resort can also arrange for groups to come and provide entertainment in the resort, including craftsmen, dance groups and falconry demonstrations. Exclusive hire of the entire resort and its facilities is also possible.
Mazagan Beach Resort, Environment Friendly
Mazagan Beach Resort opens in October 2009 on the Atlantic Coast of Morocco, 90 km. south of Casablanca.
Loyal to his engagements towards His Royal Highness Mohammed VI, the king of Morocco, Sol Kerzner wanted to make sure that all necessary measures to protect the environment were respected from the beginning of the construction and for the years to come.
A golf which marries into the dunes without upsetting nature.
Created by Gary Player, who is himself, very considerate of the environment, Mazagan Golf Links were drawn with respect to the ground and without a system of irrigation in order to economize energy.
The architecture of the course subtly marries into the natural relief of the dunes with respect to local vegetation. The wild plants that were moved in the process were replanted in a way that will allow them to better resist the erosion caused by the dominant winds.
The green was covered with a thick carpet of ÂŤ Platinum Paspallum Âť, a resistant grass that can accept salt water and recycled water.
The golf course is part of the 73% of green areas that make up the installation plan of the Resort, leaving only 7% of ground (standard required by the local
development plan 15%) of which only 0.11 is used (standard required by the local development plan 0.30).
According to the landscape plan of the architects, more than 2300 trees and 1300 palm trees were planted throughout the resort. This figure does not include the future plantations around the 150 villas being built.
A Flexible Treatment of waste water A cleansing system transports by gravity the waste water from all the buildings of the site towards the pumping station which forwards the water to the purification plant, located in the service zone of the Resort. The station of treatment of waste waters is flexible enabling the increase of the capacity in order to adapt to the later phases of the project, progressively of its development.
The purpose of the treatment of waste waters which obeys the system of « boues activées – aération prolongée » is the elimination of the organic contents in order to be able to use this recycled water for the irrigation of the green areas as well as for the golf course.
Numerous sources of supply for Irrigation
The amounts of water necessary for irrigation come primarily from three sources: Waste water reprocessed by the purification station with a volume of 700 m3/day; - The artificial lagoon around the hotel with a holding capacity of 15 000 m3; - A Pond filled by rain water that feeds the main irrigation lagoon.
Another envisaged source is the recovery of condensed waters from the air conditioning systems and rain water coming from the roofs of various buildings of the compound .
These waters will be recovered and stored in the lagoons close to the hotel and SPA. Technical Installations The Air conditioning System of the hotel functions using three latest models of refrigerating centrifuge units, located inside the technical premises of the hotel. In order to optimize the operation of the these three refrigerating units , a system of high performing spinning fans automatically adapt to the production of air needed according to the demand of the Resort at different occupation levels. . In order to reduce the energy expenditure of producing sanitary hot water , winter heating of the swimming pools, a heat recovering network was installed on the whole of technical equipments rejecting hot air(Kitchen equipment, laundries etc) Thanks to this system, the calories rejected from these hot spots are no longer dispersed into the air but are re-used as a source of heat production All the technical installations of the compound are managed by a ÂŤ Centralized Technical Management Âť (GTC) which informs in real time the service interns of the Resort, in order for them to be able to intervene within the shortest delays and perform the necessary readjustments.
Biography of Sol Kerzner Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sol Kerzner, Founder, Chairman of the Board of Kerzner International Holdings Limited (formerly Sun International) and Chief Executive Officer, is a visionary who has redefined the scope and scale of destination resort/casino development and operation throughout much of the world. Mr. Kerzner, who as Chairman continues to focus his attention and expertise on the vision, design and development elements of the Company’s new projects, has gained international acclaim for his imaginatively designed, high-quality resorts and business acumen.
His career spans some 40 years in the hotel/resort and casino industries. He founded both of Southern Africa’s largest hotel groups, played a pivotal role in the development of the tourism industries in Mauritius and The Bahamas, and continues to develop industry leading projects in unique destinations throughout the world.
Sol Kerzner, the youngest of four children, was born on August 23, 1935 in a lowerclass suburb of Johannesburg to Russian immigrants. In 1958, Mr. Kerzner graduated as a chartered accountant from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and immediately joined one of Durban’s largest firms, where, by age 25, he was named a junior partner.
Mr. Kerzner’s career in hospitality began in 1960 with the purchase of The Palace Hotel in Durban. Following the success of that and a second hotel, Mr. Kerzner bought and developed an underdeveloped site north of Durban, an area with little apparent tourist appeal.
Contacts from his accounting days backed his
revolutionary concept of a complete resort with entertainment and sporting
facilities and a variety of specialty restaurants and bars. The result was the Beverly Hills Hotel, the first five-star hotel built in South Africa. It opened in December 1964 and within a year was acclaimed as a premier resort for local and international tourists.
Following the Beverly Hills, Mr. Kerzner built the 450-room Elangeni, overlooking Durban’s beachfront. And, in 1969, in partnership with South African Breweries, he established the chain of Southern Sun Hotels, which by 1983 was operating 30 luxury hotels with more than 5,000 rooms. In 1975, Mr. Kerzner opened his first international hotel, Le Saint GÊran, in the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.
While in South Africa, Mr. Kerzner developed Sun City, the most ambitious resort development in Africa. This project included the development of four hotels, a man-made lake, two golf courses, an entertainment center with an indoor 6,000seat arena, over 1 million hand-planted trees, a casino, two golf courses, and a series of water rides and attractions.
In 1994, Mr. Kerzner made his first major acquisition outside Africa through the purchase of the Paradise Island Resort in The Bahamas. This 1,150-room resort and casino had fallen into bankruptcy. Immediately after acquiring the resort, Mr. Kerzner launched a major re-development and expansion program turning the Atlantis, Paradise Island into a 2,300-room resort and casino that also includes the world’s largest man-made marine habitat, the largest casino entertainment center in the Caribbean, a world-class marina and other attractions.
In 1996, Mr. Kerzner opened the Mohegan Sun gaming resort in Connecticut, occupying 240 acres on the Thames River. This was as a result of negotiating a unique agreement with the Mohegan Indian Nation. Recently, the property has been expanded through a $1.0 billion investment and is now one of the two largest gaming and entertainment resorts in the United States.
Sol Kerzner continues to identify and develop unique opportunities for Kerzner International, including expanding the company’s luxury hotel and resort portfolio. A new $1 billion expansion on Paradise Island opened in early 2007, that added 3,000 new employees, 600 new guest rooms at The Cove Atlantis– overlooking some of the most spectacular white sand beaches on the island. Currently under development is a 500 unit condo-hotel in partnership with Turnberry Associates. The migration of Atlantis from a resort to a destination includes the recently opened Marina Village with 21 retail outlets and five new restaurants including the revival of the legendary Café Martinique by renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. In addition, in 2006, Nobu, the internationally-acclaimed new style Japanese restaurant conceived and run by heralded chef Nobu Matsuhisa, opened in the Atlantis Casino. The 2007 opening of The Cove unveiled Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, his first outside the United States.
Kerzner is extending its Atlantis brand globally with the development of Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai. An approximately 2,000 room, water-themed resort expected to open in 2008, currently being constructed on The Palm, Jumeirah, a multi-billion dollar leisure and residential development in Dubai. In the United Kingdom, Kerzner is currently developing a casino in Northampton and received a Certificate of Consent from the U.K. Gaming Board in 2004. Kerzner, known worldwide for its ultra-luxurious hotels and resorts in exotic locations, launched the One&Only brand in Europe in late 2002. The brand portfolio currently includes One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius and consistently ranking among the top hotels in the world; One&Only Kanuhura and One&Only Maldives at Reethi Rah in the Maldives; One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai, and One&Only Ocean Club in The Bahamas, and One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico. An additional One&Only property in Cape Town, South Africa is under development.
Lauded globally throughout his career, Sol Kerzner has been bestowed with the following global awards: 1978/ 1980 Marketing Man of the Year Award, South African Institute of Marketing Management 1992 First non-American admitted to USA's Gaming Hall of Fame 1995
1995 Gaming Person of the Year, Universal Media Travel Group and its Travel Agent Magazine (awarded April 26, 1996)
1999 FEDHASA (The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa) 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award 2003 Angel Gabrielle Award for distinguished corporate & philanthropic leadership 2004 The Innovation Award – Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific, Hong Kong 2004 Hotelier of the World: Corporate – Hotels Magazine, USA 2005 International Hotelier of the Year Award – Las Vegas Hotel & Restaurant Show 2009 : Mr. Sol KERZNER, founder and CEO of KERZNER International Holdings Limited, was decorated to the Grade of Officer of the Wissam Alaouite on Friday June 19 by HRH the King Mohamed VI.
At the head of Mazagan Beach Resort Marie Beatrice LALLEMAND Marie-Beatrice Lallemand, Knight of the French Legion of Honour, has been appointed by Sol Kerzner to launch his new project: the Mazagan Beach Resort, due to open in October 2009, in El Jadida. (Less than an hour on the South Coast of Casablanca) A suitable challenge for somebody with her past accomplishments: Ms. Lallemand obtained her degree from the Hotel Management and Hospitality school in Strasbourg. Diploma in hand, she began her career with Holiday Inn, where she advanced rapidly from Head Receptionist to Assistant Director. In 1987 she joined the Ramada Hotel Group, where she became at the age of 29 the General Manager of the Ramada Renaissance in Brighton. Her achievements were recognized by the Euro Disney Team, for whom she worked as Manager of Resort Development between 1989 and1992. Following her successful period in France she spent the next 10 years in Germany developing and expanding her experience in a variety of roles. Starting out as an Assistant Manager at the Intercontinental she rose to General Manager at the Intercontinental Schweizerhof, both in Berlin. She then occupied the post of Managing Director of the Copthorne Hotel in Stuttgart. Marie Beatrice Lallemand left Germany as Operations Director of the Europe Continental (Millennium & Copthorne Group) Ms. Lallemand returned to London in 2001 where she spent 2 additional years as General Manager of the Hilton. In 2003 she returned to France and occupied two simultaneous roles as Director of the Operation France for Intercontinental Group and General Manager of the Intercontinental Grand Hotels in Paris. May 2005 marked a turning point in her career when she was named Chief Operating Officer of Concorde Hotels & Resorts. Marie Beatrice Lallemand was entrusted with the responsibility for 14 luxurious hotels including Crillon, LutÊtia, the Hotel of Louvre, the Martinez Hotel, the Palace of the Mediterranean plus 40 other affiliated hotels in France and worldwide. Attracted by new adventures, Ms. Lallemand accepted Sol Kerzner’s offer to launch the Mazagan Beach Resort in Morocco. The 300 million euro project is expected to open its first phase in October 2009. At 50 years young, Marie Beatrice Lallemand faces a new challenge as Managing Director of Mazagan Beach Resort.