STUDIO M AND VOCO MAKE REGIONAL DEBUTS

STUDIO M – a ‘ budget lifestyle’ brand from Millennium Hotels & Resorts – has opened its first hotel in Dubai and the Middle East, and second hotel globally after Singapore.

With colourful animal-dotted sculptures in the lobby and room corridors, Studio M Arabian Plaza targets younger travellers and those seeking an affordable hospitality experience – although this sector has become increasingly competitive with the rapid expansion of Rove Hotels and Zabeel House by Jumeirah. The lobby features a digital wall behind reception, connectivity desk and grab and go area.

A short drive from DXB and very close to Al Qiyadah metro, the hotel also offers 100 apartments for long-stay guests.

Rooms are equipped with ports and hubs for guests to stream content through 43 to 49-inch Smart LED TVs from their own mobile phones and laptops. Housekeeping and ‘Do Not Disturb’ buttons are also installed in the rooms, veering away from the conventional door hangers.

On Sheikh Zayed Road, Voco Dubai is set to become a “flagship” for the IHG upscale brand as it gears up for its Middle East debut. The operator held an activation in the Nassima Royal hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, which is undergoing changes ahead of its full conversion to Voco in the first quarter of 2019.

A conversion-led brand, targeting business and leisure travellers, it capitalises on the wider trend towards informality in the hospitality industry with bright colours and different bird-themed sections to highlight reception (finch), social areas (flamingo) and rooms (owl), which also appear on staff lapels.

Flexible lighting, powerful showers and technologysavvy rooms (typically ranging between 22sqm-30sqm) are among the features and sustainable beds are made from recycled plastic bottles.

It marks a third lease of life for the property which was previously branded Radisson Royal Hotel and then named Nassima Royal.