Luxury hotels in Dubai expect Asian source markets to keep them busy in 2017 despite a steady stream of rooms in the segment for the next five years.
About 6,300 rooms in the luxury segment are expected to open in the next five years in Dubai, adding to the 20,522 rooms already in the segment, according to the analytics company STR. And this is in addition to approximately 20,000 rooms in the pipeline at upper upscale and upscale properties, which include five-star and four-star hotels. There are about 40,000 rooms existing in the upper upscale and upscale segments in the emirate.
STR differentiates hotels based on actual average room rates. Luxury hotels are the most expensive, followed by upper upscale and upscale hotels.
“Dubai has always been a high-end market and [with the strong US dollar] people might shorten their stay but hotels have to be smarter in how they do business to attract and help them stay longer,” said Debrah Dhugga, the managing director of the five-star Dukes Dubai and Dukes London. The 273-room Dubai property opened on the Palm Jumeirah last week.
Room rates are expected to be steady this year at luxury hotels as demand is still there with a shortage of rooms in the segment, she said.
“Hotels can value-add their internal offerings such as discounts for food and beverage for their guests so that they can afford to spend when here,” Ms Dhugga said. “With the Expo 2020, there’s going to be a huge increase in business and in occupancy as more investments come in.”
The hotel expects to tap the UK tourism market, where the company has a presence, as well as the Asian markets such as the top-end leisure and corporate business from India, Saudi Arabia, China and Japan.
Waldorf Astoria on the Palm also expects to record growth in tourist numbers from China and India in 2017. Its current top source markets are the United Kingdom, the Arabian Gulf, Germany, Scandinavia and Benelux.
The growth from China is expected owing to the visa-on-arrival announcement in September for Chinese nationals, according to David Wilson, the general manager of Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah.
Some of the major luxury openings in 2017 in Dubai include the 160-room St Regis Dubai Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club in the first quarter, Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai with 477 rooms and 221-room Viceroy Residences in March, and the 200-room Bulgari Resort and Residences in the fourth quarter.
“The Middle East is an important market for the luxury hospitality industry,” according to Hatem Chatter, the senior director for Middle East at the New York-based global hospitality consortium Leading Hotels of the World. “It definitely falls under the ‘grow’ category ... where despite the challenges, the market still continues to flourish and we are positive for 2017 as well.”
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
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Total funding: Self funded
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Fixtures
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
