The hotel company that runs ?the world?s only seven star hotel,? the Burj-al-Arab in Dubai, has signed an agreement with a developer in Bermuda.

It is anticipated the luxury hotel brand will arrive on the Island within the next three years with groundbreaking for a brand new hotel expected to start within the next year.

Famous around the world for the towering sail-like hotel that sits on the water?s edge in Dubai, which is marketed as the most luxurious hotel in the world, representatives of Jumeirah hotels and resorts have been on the Island this year and made an agreement to develop a project.

The news was delivered by Premier Ewart Brown as he spoke about the mixed fortunes of the former Club Med hotel site in St. George?s and plans for a number of new hotels in Bermuda during the coming three years.

One is a proposed Ritz Carlton business hotel at the Par-la-Ville car park site, and there are two others that should be firmed up as definite projects during 2007, one of them involving the Jumeirah group.

Speaking at a public meeting in St. George?s, Dr. Brown said: ?Within the next calendar year there will be a minimum of three new hotels built in Bermuda ? brand new.

?The properties where letters of agreement have been signed include names that you have heard off, like Ritz Carlton and Jumeirah, the developer of the seven-star hotel in Dubai. They (Jumeirah) have signed an agreement with a developer in Bermuda. So I believe you are going to see these things coming to fruition during the next year.?

The Premier, who continues to hold the Tourism Minister portfolio, also revealed that in the past two weeks there have been 14 expressions of interest in redeveloping the former Club Med hotel, which has been closed since 1988.

The termination of a period of exclusivity for developer KJA Developments, which had in turn replaced the Canada-based Quorum-led consortium at the beginning of 2006 as favoured developer, has opened up the market for renewed bids.

Before an audience of more than 100 people Dr. Brown answered questions on what had gone wrong with the Quorum and KJA proposals.

Referring to Jack Avedikian's KJA Developments, he said: ?It would not be correct for me to divulge specific financial details. What I can tell you is Government set certain milestones which were to be reached by a certain time. When they were not reached we terminated the period of exclusivity. That happened both in the case of Quorum and in the case of KJA.?

Dr. Brown also cast doubt on the belief that the Quorum group is closely linked with the prestigious Four Seasons hotel chain and said that consortium had enjoyed a number of years as favoured developer and been given two or three extensions to its period of exclusivity before it was replaced by KJA.

?They were unable to meet the required deadlines and unfortunately we had to move along. At that point another developer who had some involvement with the Quorum group came forward and said that he could move this project along. So we gave him a period of exclusivity, we gave him one extension of that period. He did not perform, his exclusivity was terminated,? said the Premier.

He said he had seen the initial expressions of interests to take on the Club Med site and claimed the potential developers were well-known hotel brand names and made a pledge that the site, which overlooks St. George's, would be under construction during the next calendar year.

?Why after those two strikes am I confident? Because of the quality and the reputation of the people who are now interested,? he said.

Potential developers will need to work within the plans the Corporation of St. George has for the World Heritage site, and Dr. Brown said Government has, for the past 18 months, employed a hotel development consultant with a strong background in hotel finance to help evaluate potential development proposals.

He said the failure to secure a deal with either Quorum or KJA has led to an improved screening process of developers.

There will be a few ?tight years? ahead for Bermuda as regards to available hotel bed space, Dr. Brown warned. He said the closure of the Wyndham Hotel for redevelopment would have an impact until it reopens in 2009. And the new beds at the Tucker's Point Hotel would not come on line until 2008.

But he added: ?By 2010 we will see the other new hotels that I referred to. I believe 2010 will usher in what I am calling optimistically at this point 'Bermuda's Platinum period of tourism'.?