Sol checks out of Le Touessrok partnership

Sol checks out of Le Touessrok partnership

Sol Kerzner, the leisure and gaming tycoon, has lost control of the five-star Le Touessrok hotel in Mauritius, where he launched his One&Only resort empire in 2002.

Analysts expressed surprise that Kerzner - who is in pole position to develop a possible Manchester supercasino - had ceded control of Le Touessrok, where there has been considerable investment in recent years. The flagship hotel, which has been described as the 'jewel in the Indian ocean', is a favourite with celebrities from around the world.

But the move is part of a deal hammered out between Kerzner and his Mauritian business associates Fabio Piccirillo and Arnaud Martin, who are leaving One&Only to set up Sun Resorts Limited (SRL). The deal sees SRL cede control to Kerzner of another five-star hotel on Mauritius, Le Saint Geran, as well as SRL's holdings in One&Only resort properties in the Maldives.

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Last year Kerzner, the man that Nelson Mandela described as his country's finest entrepreneur, took his Kerzner International private in a £2bn deal. The company controls around 12 luxury hotel and casino complexes in the Bahamas, Mauritius, Dubai and Mexico.

Kerzner's recent 70th birthday party was a two-day affair: a cocktail reception for 150 of his closest friends at his villa in Monaco, set on seven acres of Mediterranean cliffside, followed by a sumptuous party at Monaco's glamorous Sporting Club. Among those attending were Bono, Liza Minelli and Natalie Cole.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2006