Hotel operator Mandarin Oriental is to redevelop its flagship Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong hotel.

The US$140m (117m euro, £79.2m) renovation of the property will take eight months to complete, beginning at the end of 2005 and will include the upgrade of both facilities and services at the hotel and incorporate the addition of a three-floor, 22,604sq ft (2,100sq m) luxury spa.

The company is also set to open the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo in Japan on the 2 December within the Nihonbashi district.

The Tokyo hotel will boast 179 rooms and be located on the 30th-36th floors of the 38-storey Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower.

Mandarin Oriental currently operates 22 luxury hotels around the world with a total of more than 8,000 rooms in 17 countries.

The group plans to open two further sites next year, in Prague and Riviera Maya, Mexico. Details: www.mandarinoriental.com