Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced the signing of the first-ever St. Regis polo resort, The St. Regis Dubai Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club, in partnership with Al Habtoor Group. Scheduled to open early 2017, the 136-room hotel will be the centrepiece of a six-million square-foot equestrian sports complex in Dubai.
The St. Regis Dubai Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club will feature 136 luxury guest rooms, 24 luxury St. Regis branded bungalows and various culinary venues.
There will be 138 residential villas within the resort, alongside a polo club, a state-of-the-art polo academy and a riding school with 10 stables.
Guests will also have access to the polo academy, which will offer a wide range of programmes including dressage, riding and show jumping for riders of all ages. The resort will also be home to four world-class polo fields which will reinforce Dubai’s role on the global polo circuit.
Led by British architects WS Atkins & Partners, the design of the resort will be inspired by Andalusian architecture.
The St. Regis Dubai Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club will be part of Dubailand, a landmark project on Emirates Road just 25 minutes from Dubai International Airport.
“The UAE is our largest market in the Middle East, and we continue to see opportunities to grow our brand portfolio across the country,” says Bart Carnahan, senior vice-president, Acquisitions & Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East. “This signing will strengthen Starwood’s portfolio in Dubai, as we continue to strategically expand our luxury footprint in the region.”
Dubai is the company’s second largest market after New York City with 15 operating hotels and seven properties in the pipeline.
