W Hotels Worldwide announced earlier this week plans for the first W Hotel in the Caribbean, W Vieques-Martineau Bay, located on the largely undiscovered Puerto Rican island of Vieques. Scheduled to open in Fall of 2006, the W Vieques-Martineau Bay will have 156 guest rooms and villas, two restaurants including one poolside cafe, an 8,000-square-foot spa and a 3,000-square-foot bar.

Anticipating major growth in China, France-based hotel chain Accor has plans to more than double its hotels in China and Hong Kong to 50 by 2007. Accor stated that China currently contributes less than 1 percent of its profit and within five years, it expects it raise it to at least 5 percent of all revenue, according to Accor Asia Pacific managing director Michael Issenberg.

Palace Resorts opened recently the Cozumel Palace, the latest addition to the Palace Resorts´ line of all-inclusive luxury resorts. This stunning all-suite hotel rests on the beautiful island of Cozumel and is surrounded by the second largest coral reef in the world. This oceanfront resort offers top-of-the-line, yet affordable, accommodations complemented by Cozumel´s world-class snorkeling and diving.

The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman Hotel is nearing completion and remains on track for a late autumn opening, according to developer Michael Ryan. "The development of The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman and The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman has been a remarkable team effort by some of the most outstanding and trusted names in the world," Ryan said.

RCI EMEA announced the extension of its business alliance with Spanish hospitality giant, Sol Meliá, into Europe. This alliance mirrors the relationship RCI has with Sol Meliá Vacation Club (SMVC) in the Americas and the Caribbean. SMVC is now able to offer its members access to RCI´s network of 3,700 affiliated resorts, in addition to the opportunity to exchange internally within its own resorts currently located in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and shortly the Canary Islands.

Sonata Software Ltd, an IT consulting and software services provider, has launched its new development center in Hyderabad. The center will house an Offshore Development Centre (ODC) to support TUI-UK´s IT organization. The new centre will provide Systems development, migration, quality assurance, testing, maintenance and enhancement services for TUI´s strategic IT initiatives. Sonata´s global network of client servicing centers includes three development centers in Bangalore and nine overseas offices, out of which five are in the US and three in Europe.