Raffles International has signed its fourth management contract in five months, this time to operate a luxury resort in the heart of the Caribbean.

The Raffles Resort, Canouan Island, will be situated in The Grenadines – a few kilometres south of Mustique and 180kms west of Barbados.

Set on 1,200 acres of land, the property will feature 156 one and two storey villas with views over the ocean. It will also feature an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Jim Fazio, a private yacht mooring and beachfront pool and Jacuzzi. Entertainment at the resort will include four restaurants and a bar plus access to the nearby European-style casino.

Raffles will be building a 929 square metre spa in the resort, branded under the Amrita name. Amrita spas have become synonomous with quality treatments and exquisite style.

Raffles International is Raffles luxury brand and the resort will form part of the group’s luxury hotels of the world portfolio, which includes properties in Singapore, Cambodia, Los Angeles and Switzerland. Including all of the Raffles International brands, the group now has 38 hotels in 34 destinations. As well as the Grenadines deal, the group’s strategy of non-organic growth has allowed them to sign management contracts in Osaka, Bangkok and Phuket in the past five months.

Jennie Chua, chairman and chief executive officer of Raffles International says, “This contract not only gives us an excellent opportunity to be in such a vibrant resort market as that of the Caribbean, but it is also in line with our strategic objectives of expanding our geographical footprint and pursuing asset light growth.”

Meanwhile, Canouan Resorts Development Ltd, which owns the new Raffles resort, has put together a team of professionals in hotel development to turn the island of Canouan into a luxury tourist destination. In the first seven months of 2002, the warm weather, cultural diversity and turquoise blue seas of the island attracted over 46 million tourists.

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