Travel news: Qatar Airways grows route network and more

Plus: Marriott’s Middle East expansion, Jumeirah sets sights on Far East, and One&Only’s Rwanda luxury nature resorts.

Next year, Qatar Airways will launch a service to San Francisco. Getty Images

Qatar Airways grows route network

This week Qatar Airways announced 12 new flight routes for 2018. The Doha-based airline will launch services to San Francisco next year, as well as Cardiff in Wales, Utapao in Thailand, Chittagong in Bangladesh, Mykonos in Greece, Málaga in Spain, Accra in Ghana, Lisbon in Portugal, Abidjan in Ivory Coast, Prague in the Czech Republic, Kiev in Ukraine and Mombasa in Kenya. The network expansion comes after 14 new destination launches were announced for 2017-2018 and will bring the airline's total route count to 150 by the end of next year. For more information, visit www.qatarairways.com.

Marriott’s Middle East expansion

Marriott International, which acquired Starwood Hotels & Resorts last year, has said it plans to open 15 new luxury properties across the Middle East by the end of 2018. The group's portfolio includes six luxury brands across the region, including The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, St Regis, JW Marriott, W Hotels and The Luxury Collection, as well as the Aloft, Four Points by Sheraton and Marriott Hotels brands. Already scheduled for this year are the Bulgari Resort & Residences in Dubai, Edition Abu Dhabi, St Regis Cairo and the W Amman in Jordan. For more information, visit www.marriott.com.

Jumeirah sets sights on Far East

The Dubai-based Jumeirah Group has said that of 19 new hotel- management contracts currently in the pipeline, 10 will be in Asia and eight of these will be in China, with scheduled properties in Nanjing, Qiandaohu, Wuhan, Sanya, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Macao and Haikou. Jumeirah Nanjing is part of a development designed by the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid in the Hexi business district, also home to a conference centre, office and retail space, and opens later this year, while Jumeirah Guangzhou is due to open in 2019. The company also plans further expansion in the Middle East and Europe, including hotels in Oman and Jordan and the Jumeirah Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, all due to open in the next three years. For more information, visit www.jumeirah.com.

One&Only’s Rwanda luxury nature resorts

One&Only is preparing to open two luxury nature resorts in Rwanda. One&Only Gorilla's Nest, near the village of Kingi, in the foothills of the Virunga volcanic range, will offer guest treks in the natural habitat of the rare mountain gorilla. One&Only Nyungwe House, due to open later this year, is located in Gisakura, a working tea plantation in one of the oldest forests in Africa, on the edge of Nyungwe National Park. The park hosts the Kamiranzovu swamps and waterfalls, about 20 per cent of all the apes in Africa, 75 other species of mammals and 275 species of birds. For more information, visit www.oneandonlyresorts.com.