As we emerge from what was an unusually busy August — at least here at Hotelier Towers where we were busy gearing up for this month’s Hotelier Middle East Great GM Debate — it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the latter part of 2011, a notoriously active period as hoteliers aim to complete projects before the year is out.
There are still thousands of rooms set to open in the Middle East this year — by our calculations, 7000 in Abu Dhabi alone — but largely, the operators behind them have remained tight-lipped on what they offer. So this, especially for our loyal Hotelier readers, is what we have found out so far.
In Abu Dhabi, many hotels from St. Regis Saadiyat Island to Westin Abu Dhabi, have an opening date ahead of the Formula 1 in their sights. St. Regis is targeting November 5, the Westin has yet to put a date on it but the message is, come rain or shine, the property will be ready for the race.
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Abu Dhabi National Hotels will open a Park Hyatt and Ritz-Carlton — hopefully — by the end of the year, but did you know that the group will also be operating a restaurant complex, The Venetian Village? Located on the huge Ritz-Carlton Grand Canal site, this will offer eight branded, “big name” outlets, all run under a new restaurant division set up by the owning company.
The idea is to lure new, globally recognised names to the capital — and ultimately, to help stop the mass exodus of Abu Dhabi residents to Dubai every weekend.
That said, Dubai hotels are once again upping the stakes in the F&B game. Grosvenor House Tower Two is nearing opening and we’ve heard from those that have had a sneak peek that it will be well worth waiting for.
As well as nightclub Embassy on the top floors, the hotel will offer Siddharta Lounge by Buddha Bar and is believed to also feature a huge pan Latin American restaurant, Toro Toro, with seating for several hundred people.
Meanwhile, it will be party time at Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Radisson Royal Hotel Sheikh Zayed Road, as London celebrity haunt Mahiki takes over The Apartment at JBH and Movida, another of London’s well known VIP clubs, moves in to the top floors of the new Radisson.
In Doha, the St. Regis is staying hush on its F&B outlets, although we’ve heard that as well as hosting Qatar’s first Hakkasan, the hotel will also be home to not one but two Gordon Ramsay restaurants.
And then of course, there’s the small matter of the highly anticipated Hotelier Middle East Awards shortlist to be revealed…but you will have to wait until the October issue for that one!
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