2017 check-in for Bulgari resort in Dubai
Development is the first for luxury goods retailer in Middle East
If you fancy the idea of staying at a Bulgari-branded hotel, you could soon have your own Bulgari home in Dubai. The Italian luxury goods retailer and Meraas Holding, a Dubai-based developer, yesterday announced the launch of Bulgari residences in Dubai.
The homes will be a part of the 1.7 million square foot Bulgari Resort and Residences development, which will be located on Jumeirah Bay Island, just off the coast of Jumeirah Beach Road.
It is scheduled to open in 2017. Meraas did not say the cost of the project and how it will be funded. The development will include 165 apartments, eight penthouses, 15 mansions, hotel buildings featuring 101 rooms and suites, 20 hotel villas, a retail area, as well as a 50-berth marina and a Bulgari Yacht Club.
The residential units go on sale “in the next couple of days”, Cherif Hosny, chief hospitality officer at Meraas, told reporters at a press conference in Dubai. He, however, did not disclose the price of the units.
The Bulgari resort will join the two designer hotels in Dubai, including the Armani Hotel in Downtown Dubai and the Palazzo Versace, which is expected to open in the first half of this year at Culture Village.
Silvio Ursini, executive vicepresident at Bulgari, however, does not think the Bulgari resort will be late in entering the Dubai hotel market. “Dubai has matured a lot. Ten years ago, it was very messy — with lots of construction going on. Now the infrastructure has stabilised, with an outstanding airport and airline,” he said.
Hotel rooms in Dubai
There are more than 92,000 hotel rooms and hotel apartments in Dubai. By next year, 20,000 more rooms are expected to enter the market, according to the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing. After Dubai, Bulgari is considering to open its second resort in the region in Oman, Ursini told Gulf News on the sidelines of the conference.
“I think a resort in somewhere like Oman makes sense for our brand because of its natural configuration — you have sea and many other things,” he said.
He added that the company is not planning to open a second property in the UAE at present. Bulgari plans to have 12 properties worldwide by 2020, according to Ursini. It already has properties in Milan, London and Bali, and expects to open two more in Beijing and Shanghai in 2017.
Dubai has matured a lot. Ten years ago, it was very messy — with lots of construction going on. Now the infrastructure has stabilised, with an outstanding airport and airline.” Silvio Ursini | Bulgari’s executive vice-president