Hilton Group announced last week the completion of the sale of 15 hotels in the UK to The Managed Hotels Unit Trust, with funding arranged by RBS Group. The purchase price of the hotels is £382.4 million. The final consideration is subject to adjustment to reflect interest rate movements today which are expected to be minor. The hotels are forecast to deliver 2005 EBIT of £27.7 million (it peaked £23.6 million in 2004) and have a net book value of £341.4 million. The company is also in very advanced discussions concerning the sale of the Hilton at Edinburgh Airport to the same party.

The all-inclusive Almond Morgan Bay Beach Resort in St. Lucia (formerly the St. James´s Club at Morgan Bay) reopened November 18 and is offering guests who book a minimum three-night stay by Nov. 30 discounts of 40 percent off until January 21. The special rates start at $150 per person, per night, double ($250 from December 23 to January 5) for a standard room, including all meals, beverages and taxes.

Starwood Hotels Co. has announced the opening of its first property in the Central American republic of El Salvador: the Sheraton Presidente San Salvador. The property is located in the bustling capital city of San Salvador and is a franchise agreement between Starwood and Hoteles y Desarrollos S.A. de C.V.

Barceló Hotels & Resorts has opened its first hotel ever in Bulgaria: Barceló Fiesta Sofia. The addition of this unique four-star establishment with 121 rooms, that will form part of the exclusive Barceló Premium hotels, makes Barceló the first Spanish hotel chain to expand into the Bulgarian capital. The move is part of the group´s ambitious expansion plan. At the same time it confirms their commitment to the Eastern European markets. Accordingly, Barceló Hotels & Resorts has been in Prague since 1993 and in Turkey´s Istanbul since 2004 and it aims to open another establishment in Poland´s Warsaw in 2007.

Carlson Hotels Worldwide acquired the 253-room L´Habitation de Lonvilliers Resort (formerly the Le Meridien) with plans to transform it into the Radisson St. Martin Resort and Spa in late 2006, following a $60 million renovation. Accommodations will be in several three-story buildings surrounding the pool and garden areas, as well as waterfront villas adjacent to the property´s 160-slip marina, also part of the acquisition.

Barceló Hotels & Resorts, the hotel and travel company based Spain´s Palma de Majorca, said it acquired La Jolla de Mismaloya Resort in Puerto Vallarta last month for $31 million. The 303-room resort was built in 1989 on the site of the sets used to film the 1964 movie "The Night of the Iguana," starring Richard Burton and Ava Gardner.