A Kuwaiti-owned company is planning to roll out a global expansion of the Yotel "pod" hotels over the next five years.
The announcement comes as the industry picks up worldwide and the company readies to open its US$300 million (Dh1.1 billion) Yotel property in New York's Times Square next year.
IFA Hotels and Resorts, which is the majority investor in Yotel, says the brand is looking at launching between about 30 and 40 of the hotels over the next five years.
Locations under consideration include Europe and the US, as well as Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The idea behind the design of the rooms is inspired by a combination of the Japanese "capsule" hotels and first-class airline cabins.
Simon Woodroffe, the founder of YO Sushi, the conveyor belt sushi bar chain, co-founded the Yotel brand.
"Our plans are global for Yotel, so we are currently in conversations on a number of further projects in Europe, both in airports and in city centre locations, and we are in early conversations with potential partners in the Americas," said Joe Sita, the president of IFA Hotel Investments.
"Further afield, we are very keen to move into China and into the rest of Asia." Yotel signed a memorandum of understanding with Abu Dhabi National Hotels in 2008 to develop two hotels in the capital. These plans have been delayed by the economic downturn, but Mr Sita said talks were continuing.
"The Middle East is certainly still an area of strong interest for us," Mr Sita said. "In Dubai we see a big market for it and we're just looking for the right site."
Qatar is another attractive option following its successful bid for the World Cup 2022, he said.
With 669 rooms, the hotel in New York, which is owned by IFA and is being developed by Related Companies, is being touted as the largest hotel that will open in the city next year. It is expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year, with its opening scheduled for the second quarter.
It is part of a wider project that includes a theatre designed by the renowned architect Frank Gehry. Yotel has hotels open in London's Heathrow, Gatwick and Amsterdam's Schiphol airports.
The New York hotel will be its first property not based at an airport and as a result it will offer slightly larger but still compact rooms.
"Our timing has been quite good here. There are not very many other hotels opening next year. We're hitting the market just as it's really on the upswing."
Yotel expects to charge between $200 a night and $250 in Times Square, significantly more than the rates at its airport properties, with the Heathrow Yotel typically charging between £40 (Dh231) and £50.
But Mr Sita said that was because the airport hotels were based on the model of a high turnover of guests, as passengers passing through the airport often book the rooms for just a few hours. "So at Heathrow for example we routinely run at 200 per cent occupancy." The tiny rooms have electric beds that can be adjusted to be used as a sofa to make efficient use of the limited space.
"We position the Yotel as affordable luxury," said Mr Sita. "We straddle the boutique hotel space, because we offer that level of finish, and the more budget brands."
He said Yotel was looking for development and investment partners for its projects outside Europe in particular. "We will look for partners to roll out multiple units in those territories. We always believed it was necessary to put our money where our mouth is and show how successful the brand can be by investing our own money.
"That's what we've done [in New York] and we're confident that will be the catalyst for bringing in investor partners to help grow it throughout the US."
rbundhun@thenational.ae
Correction: This article was altered on December 9, 2010 to reflect the fact that Joe Sita is the president of IFA Hotel Investments not president of IFA Hotels and Resorts as stated.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight, Wednesday, BeIN Sports
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
%3Cp%3EFirst%20ODI%20-%20Sunday%2C%20June%204%20%0D%3Cbr%3ESecond%20ODI%20-%20Tuesday%2C%20June%206%20%0D%3Cbr%3EThird%20ODI%20-%20Friday%2C%20June%209%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMatches%20at%20Sharjah%20Cricket%20Stadium.%20All%20games%20start%20at%204.30pm%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMuhammad%20Waseem%20(captain)%2C%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20Adithya%20Shetty%2C%20Ali%20Naseer%2C%20Ansh%20Tandon%2C%20Aryansh%20Sharma%2C%20Asif%20Khan%2C%20Basil%20Hameed%2C%20Ethan%20D%E2%80%99Souza%2C%20Fahad%20Nawaz%2C%20Jonathan%20Figy%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Lovepreet%20Singh%2C%20Matiullah%2C%20Mohammed%20Faraazuddin%2C%20Muhammad%20Jawadullah%2C%20Rameez%20Shahzad%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Sanchit%20Sharma%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results:
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 (PA) | Group 1 US$75,000 (Dirt) | 2,200 metres
Winner: Goshawke, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) | Listed $250,000 (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Silva, Oisin Murphy, Pia Brendt
7.40pm: Meydan Classic Trial (TB) | Conditions $100,000 (Turf) | 1,400m
Winner: Golden Jaguar, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash
8.15pm: Al Shindagha Sprint (TB) | Group 3 $200,000 (D) | 1,200m
Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,000m
Winner: Oasis Charm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
Winner: Escalator, Christopher Hayes, Charlie Fellowes
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Company%20profile
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