MHG embarks on Gulf expansion

Anantara has a lot to boast about. Hot on the heels of a brand refresh, luxury hotel chain Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, has announced one new property each in Bahrain and Ras Al Khaimah (UAE). In addition to this, parent company Minor Hotel Group has signed a strategic agreement with Nakheel to co-invest and develop a 500-key Avani hotel in Dubai, all in the space of one busy month.

The development of the Anantara brand celebrates 15 years of its inception and marks the start of a dynamic new journey, both in terms of a strategic international footprint and enhancements to the guest experience.

Durrat Al Bahrain

This September, Minor Hotel Group confirmed the development of Anantara Durrat Al Bahrain Resort in partnership with Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat), the investment arm of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The resort will be in Durrat Al Bahrain, the kingdom’s second-largest island development, which has been created across a cluster of 15 spectacular islands. The hotel will be the first hospitality component in Durrat Al Bahrain and will be an integrated destination project for leisure, business and corporate guests.

Slated to open in 2018, Anantara Durrat Al Bahrain Resort will offer a total of 220 keys, including Lagoon View and Lagoon Access rooms, Beach Pool Villas and Overwater Pool Villas. Additional facilities will include a selection of restaurants, meeting rooms, a state-of-the-art ballroom, a gym, a kid’s club, a teen centre, and an impressive Anantara Spa.

Anantara Mina Al Arab

Minor Hotel Group also announced its first property in the UAE emirate of Ras Al Khaimah – Anantara Mina Al Arab Ras Al Khaimah Resort.

Scheduled to open in 2018, the luxury resort will soon begin development in Mina al Arab, a mixed-use development, separated from the mainland by a small lagoon. Mina Al Arab is being developed by RAK Properties, a prominent real estate developer in the UAE, listed on the Abu Dhabi stock exchange, and will include a mix of residential, hospitality and retail components.

Anantara Mina Al Arab Ras Al Khaimah Resort will offer 225 keys, which will include guest rooms, suites and Maldivian-style overwater villas, the first in Ras Al Khaimah. A diverse selection of quality restaurants will also feature, including speciality Asian dining and a seafood grill. Facilities at the resort will include meeting and events space with a ballroom seating 250, a health club with a gym, aerobics room and a yoga room, squash courts, a tennis court, a large outdoor pool, a kid’s club with a specialty kid’s restaurant and an extensive Anantara Spa.

Avani Deira Dubai

Minor Hotel Group signed on a strategic partnership with Nakheel earlier this year, to co-invest and develop a 500-key Avani hotel in Dubai.

To open in 2018, Avani Deira Dubai Hotel will be located in Deira Islands, a unique waterfront entertainment, tourist and residential destination being developed in alignment with Dubai Vision 2020. The Avani hotel will be close to Dubai International Airport, with views of the Dubai skyline and across the Arabian Gulf.

The new-build hotel is the first of MHG’s vibrant Avani brand to be announced in the UAE.