Karl Lagerfeld announced on Monday that he plans to launch his own branded hotel chain, with the first to open in the Chinese gambling hub of Macau in 2018.

His first hotel is being built with a local partner in the luxury Lisboa Palace Complex in Macau but the Lagerfeld group is “in the process of studying other opportunities to open other properties around the world,” it said in a statement.

The 83-year-old German-born fashion designer has already collaborated with luxury Parisian address Le Crillon and the Metropole in Monaco but the new business will involve his company in designing entire hotels.

Leading fashion houses from Dior to Diane von Furstenberg have developed a lucrative sideline designing suites and other interiors for hotels.

Lagerfeld intends to follow the example of rivals including Armani, Bulgari and Versace, which have gone one step further and opened properties under their own names.

The Lisboa Palace Complex in Macau – the only place in China where gambling is legal – will include casinos, restaurants and various hotels, notably the Versace Palace.

Published on https://www.theguardian.com