Emaar to open five new hotels with over 1,370 rooms in Dubai this year

The hospitality arm of Dubai’s Emaar group has announced that it will open five new hotels in the emirate this year.

That includes two under its Address Hotels + Resorts brand and two under its upscale Vida Hotels and Resorts brand.

Rove Hotels, the joint venture of Emaar Properties and Meraas, will also open one new hotel in the city, a statement said.

In total, they will add 1,373 new rooms to the emirate, including 794 upscale units.

Featuring 193 hotel rooms and suites, Address Fountain Views is a three-tower in Downtown Dubai featuring amenities including The Spa at Address Fountain Views, meeting rooms and The Restaurant – a luxury apartment presenting bespoke culinary experiences.

Also located at Downtown Dubai, Address Sky View features two towers linked by a Sky Bridge and includes 169 rooms overlooking the Burj Khalifa. Amenities include The Spa at level 54, The Restaurant – an all-day destination, a ballroom and other meeting rooms.

Located in Dubai Creek Harbour, Vida Harbour Point features 275 rooms with a fitness centre that includes a gym and studio. It also includes two themed restaurants and five meeting rooms.

The second Vida hotel, Vida The Hills includes 157 rooms and suites, with themed restaurants, a pool and a gym and 10 meeting rooms. It is located in the Emirates Hills community.

Located at theme park destination Dubai Parks and Resorts, Rove At The Park features 579 rooms of which many are interconnecting. The venue targets families.

“All the hotels have commenced online booking and the response from guests is strong,” a statement said.

Chris Newman, COO of Emaar Hospitality Group, said: “The new hotels strengthen our role as the official hospitality and hotel partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, with the city gearing up to welcome over 25 million visits during the six-month period of the much-anticipated event.

“We are committed to supporting the Dubai Tourism Strategy to welcome 25 million annual visitors by 2025 through our robust portfolio of upcoming hotel projects and will also focus on expanding our geographic footprint through new hotel management agreements,” he added.

Dubai’s hospitality market has benefitted from government incentives such as free limited-stay visas for transit passengers and a VAT refund scheme for tourists.

However, hotel occupancy rates declined by 3.1 per cent year-on-year in February 2019, according to data from STR Global, even as supply continues to grow.

Overall, hotel supply is anticipated to increase by 13.3 per cent in Dubai, with occupied room nights slated to reach 35.5 million annually this year, according to STR.

The emirate is expected to have 132,000 guest rooms open by the end of 2019 and 164,000 units by the time the Expo 2020 gets underway next year.