LEADING African hotel group Southern Sun has expanded into the Middle East with the launch of two hotels, Al Manzil and Qamardeen, in part of a larger strategy to reach the Middle East market with 20 hotels.
Operations director John De Canha told TTN that the chain is planning to base its offshore headquarters in Dubai. “In time the group will be renamed the Southern Sun and Offshore. This is the beginning of a road that will see 20 new additions in the region. The Southern Sun will in time operate from its headquarters in Dubai and the city will be the centre of its offshore operations.”
Both the new hotels are perfectly located close to the under-construction Burj Dubai, billed to be the tallest building in the world when complete in 2008, as well as the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Qamardeen Hotel has opened to full capacity and follows on from the successful launch of Southern Sun’s first hotel Al Manzil, which opened in early January. “It’s barely been a week and we are fully booked with visitors to the Gulf Food Exhibition to be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre,” he said.
The two hotels offer 21 suites and over 350 rooms as well as a host of amenities including business centres, swimming pools, all-day diners, conference and meeting rooms, speciality restaurants, coffee shops and more.
Both offer complimentary high speed internet access, a 24-hour business centre, WiFi in public areas. The hotels will both provide plenty of leisure facilities including outdoor swimming pools, fitness centres and all-day dining outlets. Al Manzil Hotel is also connected to a quaint Arabian-style souk.
Al Manzil Hotel has also opened a sports entertainment grill and bar which seats 96 people. Nezesaussi (short for New Zealand, South Africa and Australia) will be Dubai’s newest speciality restaurant and is expected to become the city’s top destination for meals and drinks while watching all the sports action from around the globe.
by Manisha Koshy