Rezidor SAS Hospitality has announced that the construction of the new Radisson SAS Hotel Zurich Airport will commence at the start of 2006. The hotel will be located directly opposite the departure terminal and will feature 329 rooms and 3,700 square metres of conference space. The hotel is being built at a cost of AED 422 million and is due for completion in autumn 2008. Rezidor SAS estimates that the new build hotel will generate around 200 new jobs at the airport.

Swiss group Zurich Airport Invest AG, a subsidiary of Acron AG, has acquired the building rights for the hotel. The owner of the land and seller of the building rights is Unique (Flughafen Zürich AG). Rezidor SAS Hospitality holds a 25-year lease for the Radisson SAS Hotel Zurich Airport with Zürich Airport Invest AG, based in Zurich. The general contractor is the Swiss company Marazzi Generalunternehmung AG based in Muri near Bern that has developed the project in collaboration with Unique. The building application has been submitted and it is anticipated that once building approval is granted - probably in January 2006 - construction of the project will be started without delay.

“The Radisson SAS Hotel Zurich Airport will prove to be a milestone in Rezidor SAS’ development in the Switzerland region,” commented Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor SAS Hospitality. “Zurich Airport is one of the most important European gateways for long-distance travellers and thus also an important hub for business travellers, thereby proving an ideal location in which to prove our service quality. In addition, the first-class Radisson SAS hotel is the perfect complement to our mid-market Park Inn Hotel in Rümlang, not far from Zurich Airport, which has already been well received by the market.”

The new airport hotel will primarily focus on business travellers and frequent flyers with facilities including perfectly conceived and styled rooms, spacious conference and event areas on the hotel’s 1st and 7th floors (the 1st floor event area is around 1,200 m? and the 7th floor conference area is around 2,500 m?) with state-of-the-art meeting and conference equipment and a breathtaking view of the airport. Leisure facilities include an inviting lobby area with lobby-bar for one-to-one meetings and a gastronomic programme tailored to the needs of airline passengers plus a fitness and wellness area.

The Radisson SAS Hotel Zurich Airport is already seen as the future showpiece of the airport. It is situated in a premium location, directly opposite Terminal 1. The building will be the first hotel in Switzerland with a direct airport connection and will be erected in a modern architectural style with lavish interior design.
——-