Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., owners or part-owners and managers of 51 luxury hotels, restaurants, tourist trains and river cruise businesses operating in 25 countries, has signed a letter of intent to establish a 50/50 strategic partnership with The Related Group, a real estate developer in the United States, initially to develop hotels and residences in South Beach Miami; Cartagena, Colombia; and Panama City, Panama.

The proposed strategic partnership plans to develop and operate multi-use projects that will include hotel, branded residential and commercial components. The letter of intent between The Related Group and Orient-Express Hotels contains a 90-day exclusivity period and is non-binding until detailed negotiations are completed.

Initial projects, all planned to open in three years, include a hotel with 28 luxury residences in the south of fifth area of South Beach Miami; an oceanfront hotel in Cartagena, Colombia, close to the old walled city which is a UNESCO World Heritage site; and a hotel on Avenida Balboa, Panama City, part of a major city-led waterfront development project. In each project, the hotel will be part of a wider development and will be managed by Orient-Express Hotels.