Business Traveller (Middle East)
Upcoming ‘wow’ properties that will change the city skyline
From the super- luxurious to the colourful and creative, we round up some of the city’s most hotly anticipated hotel openings over the next 18 months
In what has been a rollercoaster year, only one hotel due to open in Dubai in 2020 made it to planned launch day (ME Dubai), but in a city known for pushing the boundaries, more new properties will fling open their doors before the 12 months are up. Heading into 2021 and early 2022, several more will follow suit and among them are a seriously wow-worthy array of hotels brandishing exciting dining concepts, outstanding modern design, lavish pool facilities and panoramic city views.
Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown Opening: Now
Hotel Indigo properties are the gateway to some of the world’s most inspiring locations. They bring the outside in, with every area of the hotel inspired by its locale, reflected in its intriguing design. Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown, which opened last month (October), is no exception, taking inspiration from the story of its surrounding neighbourhoods to ensure guests feel part of the destination. All 269 rooms and suites take their design cues from Dubai Creek.
Interiors tell its story through wallpaper created by local artists, bespoke shisha lamps and wardrobes with carved wooden doors, hand-crafted in Mashrabiya style, but with a modern twist. The hotel also boasts more than 200 pieces of art created by local designers, while the spa’s design pays homage to the country’s pearl-diving heritage.
Highlights also include a 25-metre infinity pool, yoga studio and the Orange Feels cocktail bar with Instafriendly hanging woven water pods. If your dog is in tow, this property is pet-friendly as an added perk.
Address Jumeirah Resort Opening: December 2020
If you live in Dubai or have visited recently, you might have noticed the unique architecture of this bespoke property being built on the edge of Jumeirah Beach Residence ( JBR), next to Doubletree by Hilton. This exclusive beachfront development, featuring a luxury hotel and fully serviced apartments and residences, all operated by Address Hotels + Resorts, spans two 75-storey towers that are connected at the top and bottom to create an iconic frame-like structure. When it opens next month, the hotel will offer 217 rooms and suites and private access to 100 metres of pristine sandy beach. Prime views of the soon-to-open Ain Dubai Ferris Wheel will also be part of its lure, as well as five restaurants and four pools – including a lavish infinity pool on the rooftop where the two towers meet.
Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah Opening: November 2020
The first Marriott resort in Dubai, located on Palm Jumeirah, will be a gastronomic destination in its own right with eight restaurants offering a wide range of global cuisine from Korean and Italian to Japanese and Mexican. Adding to the growing Peruvian restaurant scene, ‘Above Eleven’ will entice guests with a garden maze at its entrance. All rooms and suites will feature a private balcony with Arabian Gulf views and complimentary Wi-Fi will be standard. If you’re visiting for business, the large event space will comprise 11 flexible venues, including an outdoor terrace, plus a business centre and concierge level with lounges will be an added bonus. An M Club executive lounge, open 24 hours a day, promises uninterrupted Gulf views and for relaxation, a fitness centre and spa will do the job.
Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk Opening: Q4 2020
This architecturally striking property merges the brand’s renowned modern French art de vivre with ancient Egyptian heritage, reflecting its location at the pyramidshaped Wafi Mall development. Its architecture is inspired by the Luxor Obelisk, currently in Paris, and the façade is adorned with a striking gold pyramidion. With 595 rooms, including 97 luxury apartments, it will also make its mark as the largest Sofitel in the Middle East. When they arrive, guests will walk through the magnificent doors of a grand Pylon – the colossal gateway of an Egyptian temple – only to be greeted by a nine-metre-wide, fourmetre-tall golden falcon, the UAE’s national bird. Inside, the five dining venues will include Brasserie Boulud, designed by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud, best known for Daniel, his two-star Michelin restaurant in New York, serving simple seasonal dishes, and the first international outpost of Taiko, the award-winning restaurant of the Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam, created by executive chef and founder Schilo van Coevorden, offering Far East flavours. Modern rooms and suites with Art Deco lines will feature the custom-made Sofitel MyBed™ and some will offer access to Club Millésime with a dedicated lounge and butler service among the many benefits. Facilities also include a gym, spa, 10 meeting venues including two ‘green rooms’ with eco-friendly materials, plus the impressive L’Obelisque ballroom.
Rixos Dubai Hotel & Suites Jewel of the Creek Opening: TBC 2021
The latest addition to what will now be a three-hotel complex at the upcoming Jewel of the Creek development in the Port Saeed area of Deira, Rixos Dubai Hotel & Suites will sit alongside sister Accor portfolio properties Mövenpick Grand Al Bustan and Swissôtel and Swissôtel Living Al Murooj. The fully integrated urban Rixos resort with some 770 rooms and suites will focus on leisure, entertainment, sports and gastronomy. Highlights will include a large conference centre (3,000 sqm), a commercial zone, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, a fitness centre, wellness centre, an infinity pool, entertainment and show arena, beach promenade, plus kids and teens facilities.
SLS Dubai Hotel & Residences Opening: March 2021
The five-star SLS Dubai Hotel & Residences will be one of the tallest hotels in the city when it opens in the first quarter of 2021 and will boast 254 expertly designed hotel rooms, 371 residential units and 321 hotel apartments.
For dining, guests will be able to choose between Italian cuisine at all-day dining restaurant Fi’lia on level 70 and Carna, a steakhouse by award-winning Italian butcher Dario Cecchoni on the 74th floor. For relaxation, Ciel Spa, located on the 69th floor, will feature seven treatment rooms, steam rooms, experience showers, plunge pools, a salon and gym. In addition, the property’s nightlife venue, Privilege, will be located on the rooftop featuring expansive interior lounge space opening directly onto the roof terraces and infinity pools.
The Royal Atlantis Opening: TBC 2021
Another icon in the making on the apex of The Palm Jumeirah, sitting side by side with its already famous pink sister, is the AED 5.15 billion Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, offering 231 luxury apartments, 693 hotel rooms and 102 suites. The 43-storey hotel will feature some 90 swimming pools, including a stunning rooftop infinity pool suspended 96 metres above the manmade island on level 22. The hotel will offer 17 restaurants and bars, with some of the world’s leading international celebrity chefs at the helm including Gasón Acurio, Costas Spiliadis, Ariana Bundy, Heston Blumenthal and Jose Andres. The water theme will continue in the lobby bar area, which will be home to one of the largest jellyfish tanks in the world, housing approximately 2,000 jellyfish. A 1,000 sqm ballroom seating 660 guests, plus six meeting rooms, a VIP majlis and a private bridal suite will ensure the property becomes a meetings and events favourite and for added ‘wow’ factor, a dramatic fire and water attraction is being created by Californian outfit W.E.T – think water cascading into pools where flames erupt like fountains and a water performance installation in the lobby where dramatic use of lights will make for a grand entrance.
St Regis The Palm Opening: March 2021
The Palm Jumeirah St Regis will feature 289 rooms spanning the first 18 floors of The Palm Tower, while the upper floors of this building will be occupied by 504 luxury apartments. Originally pipelined to open in Q4 this year, the hotel has postponed this to a March 2021 soft launch. However, amenities including the pool and restaurants are not expected to open until Q4 next year. AURA Skypool will also open as part of a three-floor luxe dining and entertainment destination atop Palm Tower. One floor above on level 51 will house the famed SUSHISAMBA restaurant, serving up a mix of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine, while the 52nd floor will play host to the Palm Tower’s much-awaited viewing deck, aptly called The View.
25Hours Hotel Dubai One Central Opening: TBC 2021
Tradition meets modern day – that’s the theme at the Middle East’s first 25Hours Hotel, which through novel narrative-led design, will weave the tales of nomadic life into every room and public space. In what is set to be an interior design triumph, sandy tones will dominate the four diverse room styles encompassing ‘Bedouin’, ‘Glamping’, ‘Farmstay’ ( pictured) and ‘Artist Village’, plus the Hakawati Suite on the eighth floor with the best views of Dubai. All 434 rooms will feature 25Hours essentials including high quality beds “for an excellent night’s sleep”, free high-speed Wi-Fi and a UE Boom Bluetooth speaker. The hotel will be steps from Dubai World Trade Centre, just off Sheikh Zayed Road in the Dubai Future District and next to the new Museum of the Future. A metro station is close by and just two stations away from Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and three stations away from Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. With the modern traveller in mind, facilities will include breakout areas with co-working spaces, a coffee area and a vinyl player and Walkman area, while guests can rent MINI Electric cars and Schindelhauer bikes. Highlights will also include the Moonlight Cinema in cooperation with MINI, the world’s first STOP THE WATER Spa and the 25hours things concept store on the ground floor. Four restaurants and bars are where “urban nomads meet desert flowers” and “local heroes meet the well-travelled” and include an all-day dining grill restaurant and a Bavarian beer garden and tavern. On the top floor guests will find a Greek restaurant and an urban rooftop bar with an outdoor terrace and pool.
Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah Opening: September 2021
Beachside property Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah was due to open in September 2020, but this has now been pushed back a year to September 2021. Conveniently located on the main trunk of The Palm Jumeirah, apart from its stunning ocean-view rooms, the hotel’s exciting selling point is its food and beverage offering. Many of the city’s popular haunts will be setting up shop in the property including a Trader Vic’s (and Trader Vic’s Beach Bar), a new concept by McGettigan’s, CLAW (American BBQ), Jones the Grocer, club-venue favourite, Barfly and for live bands, sports and DJs, guests, Factory. For meetings and events, venues will include a divisible ballroom and a terrace with panoramic ocean views.