Dubai Pearl founder and CEO Santhosh Joseph: the best located projects always bounce back in real estate.
Branded hotels
One significant change in the Dubai Pearl design was in the growth of the hotel portfolio, which increased from three hotels to seven when the masterplan was changed. Hotels will now cover 19% of the total area, and entertainment, retail, and F&B combined will account for 13%.
These seven hotels are already underway, but only four brands have been announced — Baccarat, Bellagio, MGM Grand and Skylofts — and Joseph doesn’t expect to reveal the remaining three operators until the end of 2011.
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There were reports at the end of 2009 that Dubai Pearl was in talks with Formula One team McLaren to brand a hotel and residences, and collateral at the Dubai Pearl office describes a “speed hotel”, a “fashion hotel” and a “wellness hotel” as being on the cards, but Joseph insists these are merely “code names”.
So, what can we expect from the major US imports already signed and what else does Dubai Pearl have to surprise us with?
This is where Dubai Pearl’s subsidiary, RMAL Hospitality, comes in. Headed up by chief executive officer Anthony P. Liddiard, who previously spent 23 years working with InterContinental Hotels Group in the Middle East, RMAL Hospitality is responsible for all the hospitality aspects of Dubai Pearl.
Along with Joseph and his team, Liddiard has worked tirelessly to research countless hotel brands and negotiate the deals that are the “right fit” for Dubai Pearl.
“What Santhosh’s vision has been is that we don’t want to be ‘same old, same old’; we don’t want to bring brands that are already here — that doesn’t go with what the whole vision of what Dubai Pearl is. What we have come up with so far is absolutely perfect for what Dubai Pearl is all about,” asserts Liddiard.
The team was the first to secure the Baccarat hotel concept, which is designed by Starwood Hotels and Resorts founder Barry Sternlicht around the well known Baccarat crystal brand.
Baccarat are currently developing two other properties, says Joseph, with one in Shanghai possibly to open before the Dubai Pearl hotels, which are due to be delivered in 2014.
Meanwhile, Liddiard says the three properties with MGM Resorts International have been tailored specifically to the Dubai market.
“They will absolutely project the same MGM [Grand] and Bellagio experience as in Las Vegas but obviously without the gambling and casino element. These brands have got so much pizzazz, glamour and glitz and they work like a magnet to attract people.
“That is why we went with the MGM, the Bellagio; we’ve been to Vegas, we’ve seen their hotels, we’ve seen what they can do, and we know that working with them we can bring something to Dubai that is going to be different from the existing hotel proposition here,” says Liddiard.
In addition, Liddiard is also focused on finding new brands which are as yet unexposed to the Middle East in terms of F&B. Some of these will be brands RMAL can potentially franchise and roll out elsewhere — the company is already behind the growth of Frankie’s, Wagamama, Trader Vic’s and MPW Steakhouse and Grill in the region — and others will be exclusive to Dubai Pearl.
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Nov 17, 2010 , United Arab Emirates
fascinating article and incredible concept; even for Dubai. I think if anyone can pull this off it's the two main characters involved. In my opinion, after over 3 decades in the region; it's exactly what is needed; not the same old,same old that Dubai has in spades already. The Dubai Tourism sect...
Nov 17, 2010 , United Arab Emirates
I cannot imagine how we can complete the work on time. We are rushing 24 hours at site. I being th Senior PM working with the main largest Arab Contractor there, we are being treated like slaves to slog for the work. If the target of this big boss is not realistic, why keep pushing to make it rea...