50-storey Shangri-La Hotel Doha opens
SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, Doha, a 50-storey property located in the commercial district of West Bay, celebrated its grand opening recently. Strategically located close to the business and diplomatic areas, the hotel offers a direct link to the City Centre Mall, the city’s largest mall, and is only five minutes from the waterfront promenade. It has 272 guestrooms and suites and 42 serviced apartments.
Minor to manage another hotel in Dubai
THAILAND’S Minor Hotel Group has signed a letter of intent (LOI) for a management agreement with Dubai master developer Nakheel for a new 372-room hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai, UAE. The hotel will be managed under the Avani Hotels & Resorts brand. The 14-storey hotel – one of the 10 in the developer’s overall Dubai hotel portfolio – will have direct access to the mall and a link to the Dubai Metro. The LOI is the second collaboration for Nakheel and Minor Hotel Group in five months. In September last year, the two companies announced a planned joint venture for a 500-room Avani beachfront resort at Deira Islands.
First Radisson Red in Dubai
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REZIDOR, a leading hotel group and a member of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, will introduce its lifestyle select brand Radisson Red to Dubai, UAE. Located in Silicon Oasis, a community designed to facilitate and promote modern technology based industries, the 171-room Radisson Red Dubai Silicon Oasis is expected to open in Q3, 2018. The hotel will be located just 14 km from the Dubai International Airport and 33 km from the Al Maktoum Airport.
Hawthorn Suites offers new suites
HAWTHORN Suites by Wyndham Jumeirah Beach Residence has launched new room categories – the family one bedroom suite and the three-bedroom suite – to cater to the growing demands for family-friendly accommodation, especially from the GCC market. The family one-bedroom suite features a king size bed and a convertible sofa bed, which can accommodate two adults and two kids, or as many as four adults. With an area of 100 sq m, the suite provides cost-effective options for families, as an alternative to a pricier two-bedroom suite. The three-bedroom suite, which connects a two-bedroom, and a deluxe suite, can accommodate up to six adults and two kids.
Another Anantara in Oman
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ANANTARA Hotels, Resorts & Spas, a luxury hospitality brand, has announced plans to open its Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort in the north east of Oman in mid-2016. The group will also open its Al Baleed Resort – Salalah in the southern province of Dhofar during the same period.
Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar, a rare jewel set in the rocky contours of the vast Saiq Plateau on Oman’s fabled Green Mountain, is perched 2,000 m above sea level on the curving rim of a great canyon, making it the highest five-star resort in the Middle East and one of the highest in the world.
Hilton Garden Inn to open in Muscat
HILTON Worldwide has signed a management agreement with the Muscat National Development and Investment Company (Asaas) to open Hilton Garden Inn Muscat – Al Khuwair, the hospitality company’s first property in Muscat and second in Oman. The hotel will feature 232 guest rooms and occupy a prime position in the centre of the city. Visitors will be in close proximity to Muscat International Airport (16 km) as well as sites of interest including the renowned Royal Opera House and Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.
New Aloft-branded resort to open in Dubai
THE Aloft brand of hotels will soon open on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah following the signing of an agreement between leading hospitality group Starwood Hotels and Resorts with Dubai businessman Rashid Al Abbar. Set to open in 2017, the Aloft Dubai, The Palm will be the first mid-market hotel brand on the island.