West Places Hotel Group is launching a new luxury chain to compete with Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton.
The new chain will be called Solis Hotels & Resorts. It will initially have six hotels, with the first opening next year in Chicago.
Hotels in 2007 will be located in San Antonio, the Phoenix suburbs, Atlanta suburbs and Frankfurt, Germany. An Orlando hotel will open in 2008.
The chain plans to spend $700 million in its launch, says Horst Schulze, head of West Places, an investment firm.
Mr. Schulze, who once ran Ritz-Carlton, said he came up with the idea while researching the lack of top luxury hotel rooms.
Report by David Wilkening
