NEW HOTELS
In the past decade, Dubai’s best hotels have become synonymous with luxury and striking architecture. While other destinations have iconic hotels, Dubai has a hotel, the Burj Al Arab, that is an icon for the emirate as well as its ambitions. But there are many more hotels in the pipeline.
At Dubai Festival City, the grand opening of the InterContinental Dubai Festival City in January, followed by Crowne Plaza last month and the InterContinental Residence Suites this month was the biggest launch in the history of the InterContinental Hotels Group.
Together, the three hotels on Dubai Creek offer more than 1,000 hotel rooms and suites,
14 restaurants and bars, plus a shared 3,800 sqm event centre spread over two levels, with
two ballrooms and eight break-out rooms.
Accor has at least six new properties planned for Dubai in the next two years.
Late last year it opened Sofitel The Palace in downtown Burj Dubai. Located in what
will be a new business district, the 242-room hotel takes its design inspiration from
ancient Arabian palaces.
It is a calming retreat in the middle of this huge development, with fantastic views of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai. The Palace has four meeting rooms, the largest of which can accommodate 300 people.
In the Burj Dubai itself, the first 37 floors will be taken up by the 175-room Dubai Armani Hotel, which promises a spectacular spa covering more than 40,000 sqm.
The much anticipated opening of the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina in June, will take Starwood’s Dubai portfolio of hotels into double figures.
The beachfront property has a 795 sqm ballroom for up to 1,200 people and outdoors there is a 1,500-seat amphitheatre, lawns and barbecue areas for as many as 5,000 guests.
The group has also renovated its guestrooms at the business-focused Sheraton Deira Hotel, Dubai, which is near the airport and a popular venue for regional training and international meetings.
When the Angsana Hotel and Suites open in downtown Dubai in the first quarter of this year, it will mark Banyan Tree’s first property in Dubai. Two 48-storey towers will house 781 rooms, suites and apartments, spa and meeting facilities.
The Singaporean group also recently announced that it would manage a five-star allvilla
resort at Meydan, a vast equestrian and golf resort that will be the new home of the
Dubai World Cup when it opens in 2010.
As part of its global expansion plans, Jumeirah has already confirmed that it will open four more hotels in Dubai by 2010.
Other five star hotels confirmed to open in the next two years include properties managed by Marriott, Fairmont, Rotana, Movenpick and Swiss-Belhotel.
Quality properties, new facilities
Dubai's bold new hotels are part of a plan to build a city that is not reliant on oil revenues
