Above: Fort de France, Martinique

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Louvre Hotels Group is planning an expansion into France’s overseas departments, following the announcement of a partnership with Groupe ACI Outremer.

The properties will be under Louvre’s Premiere Classe and Campanile brands, according to a release.

“This agreement will help us to establish and speed up the expansion of the Group and of our brands in these French departments by harnessing Groupe ACI Outremer’s first-class knowledge of and experience in the local hotel markets,” said Matthieu Evrard, Chief Development Officer of Louvre Hotels Group.

Of the 16 new properties, four will be in Guadeloupe and three will be in Martinique.

A total of eight projects have already been firmed up, including three in Martinique and Guadeloupe, according to the company.

Those include a 100-room Campanile in Le Lamentin, Martinique and two properties in Guadeloupe: an 80-room Campanile and a 40-room Premiere Class property, both at the Pointe a Pitre airport.

ACI Outremer will arrange and finance the infrastructure development plan and sign a franchise agreement with Louvre for each of the hotels.

Louvre will support the construction of the projects under hotel technical assistance agreements.

“This partnership with Louvre Hotels Group represents a tremendous opportunity for us to harness the benefit of its acclaimed expertise and its very well-known brands to build hotel projects that will meet genuine demand in French overseas regions,” said Stephane de Reynal, chairman of Groupe ACI Outremer.

Louvre Hotels Group has more than 1,100 hotels in 42 countries. It is the product of an alliance between Louvre Hotels and Golden Tulip in April 2011.

The two companies were purchased by Starwood Capital in 2005 and 2009.