• Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Friday, June 25, 2010 10:45 AM

Elisabetta Gucci's plan to open a global chain of hotels under her name may be blocked by the luxury goods company founded by her great-grandfather, Zainab Fattah reports.

The daughter of late fashion mogul Paolo Gucci, who designed the Italian brand's trademark stirrup, plans to open an 87-suite property in Dubai's Media World district by the end of the year, according to Lorens Ziller, managing director of her EG Hotels company. Branded EG Hotels by Elisabetta Gucci, it will showcase furniture designed by her and built by Formitalia.

The Dubai hotel will be the first of 40 to open across the world in the next 15 years, according to Ziller. Gucci's partner is Baitek International Investment, owned by Saudi Arabian investor Abdulla Al Sayegh. The website of Elisabetta Gucci, born in 1952, states that she has no connection with the fashion house.

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