LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton is checking into the hotel business.

The world's largest luxury-goods company, home to brands such as the Louis Vuitton fashion house and champagne maker Veuve Clicquot, said Thursday it will develop resorts using the name of its Bordeaux winery, Cheval Blanc.

LVMH tested the concept with a first location that opened in the French ski resort Courchevel in 2006. Two more hotels are scheduled to join the chain by 2012 in Oman and Egypt, the company said.

The project is 'a natural extension of activities in luxuryhospitality with Cheval Blanc,' LVMH said in a statement.

Like many top hotel operators, LVMH is limiting its exposure to the volatile hotel industry. It won't own the real estate or financeconstruction, but will instead run the resorts under management contract, a similar model to other high-end chains such as The Ritz-Carlton. The new LVMH Hotel Management business has six employees.

Egypt's Orascom Development Holding AG is bankrolling most of the cost of the Oman and Egypt locations. The hotel staff will be employed by Orascom, a spokeswoman for LVMH said.

The move shows how LVMH is trying to grow without resorting to costly acquisitions. Two years ago, the company pushed the boundaries of its luxury-goods universe to include yachts when it bought Dutch ship builder Royal Van Lent. A few years earlier, LVMH developed a new high-end rum, 10 Cane, instead of buying an existing brand.

LVMH grew throughout the 1990s and until 2001 thanks to expensive acquisitions. But many purchases, such as perfume maker Guerlain and American fashion house Donna Karan, haven't turned into major successes. Now, as the industry leader, there are few targets for LVMH that would have a significantimpact on its growth.

LVMH's hotels will be a showcase for many of its brands. The Cheval Blanc in Courchevel has a Givenchy spa, and visitors can buy its Louis Vuitton and Dior goods in the hotel.

LVMH is also developing a hotel in the building of the former La Samaritaine department store in Paris, but it is premature to say if it will bear the Cheval Blanc name, the LVMH spokeswoman said. Renovation on the historic building is expected to continue through 2013. The group said it is evaluating future hotel projects.

Christina Passariello

• concept [´kɔnsept] n.概念；观念；思想 (初中词汇)
• resort [ri´zɔ:t] vi.求助；乞灵；诉诸 (初中词汇)
• project [prə´dʒekt, ´prɔdʒekt] v.设计；投掷 n.计划 (初中词汇)
• luxury [´lʌkʃəri] n.奢侈(品)；享受 (初中词汇)
• estate [i´steit] n.财产；庄园；等级 (初中词汇)
• finance [´fainæns] n.财政；金融 vt.资助 (初中词汇)
• construction [kən´strʌkʃən] n.建设；修建；结构 (初中词汇)
• management [´mænidʒmənt] n.管理；处理；经营 (初中词汇)
• costly [´kɔstli] a.昂贵的；费用大的 (初中词汇)
• expensive [ik´spensiv] a.费钱的，昂贵的 (初中词汇)
• perfume [´pə:fju:m, pə´fju:m] n.香味 vt.使发香 (初中词汇)
• location [ləu´keiʃən] n.定位；位置；地方 (高中词汇)
• extension [ik´stenʃən] n.延长；扩展；延期 (高中词汇)
• hospitality [,hɔspi´tæliti] n.好客，殷勤 (高中词汇)
• exposure [ik´spəuʒə] n.暴露；曝光(时间) (高中词汇)
• universe [´ju:nivə:s] n.天地；全人类；银河系 (高中词汇)
• builder [´bildə] n.建筑者；创造者 (高中词汇)
• significant [sig´nifikənt] a.重要的；意义重大的 (高中词汇)
• historic [his´tɔrik] a.有历史意义的 (高中词汇)
• trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (四级词汇)
• champagne [ʃæm´pein] n.香槟酒；微黄色 (六级词汇)
• holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (六级词汇)
• impact [´impækt] n.影响，作用；冲击 (六级词汇)