Luxury designer brand Louis Vuitton enters the hotel industry

The designer-inspired-hotels trend is ramping up. The Villa by Barton G has taken over the former Versace mansion, and Armani is getting set to open its first hotel in the Burj Dubai. Ralph Lauren and Bulgari have helped design exclusive hotels around the world, and now, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the parent company of Louis Vuitton, announced plans to manage two luxury hotels in Egypt and Oman.

The two hotel project will cost $100 million and is financed by Egypt's Orascom Development Holdings and private investors, including the Sultanate of Oman, according to an article in the Financial Times.

According to the article, the Oman hotel will feature 32 private villas, each with its own beach and swimming pool. The 40-suite hotel in Egypt will be set on an island overlooking the Nile. Both of the hotels are set to open in 2012, complete with a suite of luxury accommodations and amenities.

Paris-based LVMH, already famous for its leather handbags and watches, said the creation of LVMH Hotel Management was a "natural extension of activities in luxury hospitality". LVMH alluded that there are more designer hotels in the pipeline, but the story gave no indication on when or where these hotels would launch.

Filed under: Hotels and Accommodations, Luxury Travel