Having spent the whole of his 22-year career in the hotel industry, general manager Naif Zureikat knew exactly what he wanted at Al Sondos Suites by Le Meridien, the luxury hotel group's newest property in Dubai.

"As Le Meridien's first entry into the suites segment, Dubai seemed an inevitable choice as the location. But Dubai is such a challenging market for the industry - thanks to strong competition in the market - that we had to make it work."

Al Sondos Suites is a purpose-built 11-storey property, and is located five minutes away from Dubai International Airport in the heart of Dubai's burgeoning Deira shopping and business district, opposite Deira City Centre, the city's largest leisure complex.

"This is definitely an up-market property in line with the rest of the Le Meridien portfolio.

"It is closer to a hotel in service offering and standard than to furnished apartments.

"We offer the same 24-hour service as a five-star hotel, but at a slightly lower price," says Zureikat.

"We have identified our primary markets as being GCC families, for which our location in Deira is ideal, but it is also excellent for business travellers.

For the business traveller, the property hosts a fully-equipped business centre, as well as conference rooms.

The suite also features leisure facilities and other recreational activities.