The Monarch Dubai has been rebranded The H Hotel Dubai following a change of ownership.
The prominent Sheikh Zayed Road property was formerly part-owned and fully-operated by Kuwait’s Refad Hotels and Resorts through a joint venture with a Dubai Government entity.
Dubai has now taken full ownership of the hotel and the management contract with Refad Hotels and Resorts has ended.
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Refad Hotels and Resorts was unavailable for comment at the time of publishing.
A new third-party management company is expected to be announced by the end of the month, according to the hotel's director of business development Sahiti Gaddam.
“We’ve done a very soft handover because as part of the rebranding we’re also doing a repositioning and re-launch later this year,” she told Hotelier Middle East.
“We’re trying to upgrade the product which includes the public areas and the hotel rooms and apartments over the next seven months starting this summer going through to the end of quarter four,” Gaddam said.
The hotel's F&B offering - including popular independent outlets Ruth's Chris Steak House and Okku - will continue to operate as normal.
She explained the renovation - which will be completed in phases with the hotel remaining open - would soften the contrast between the building’s modern, glass façade and Arabesque interiors in favour of a “cosmopolitan” look inside and out.
“It’s a five-star deluxe hotel - we want to take it to the next level of being a five-star deluxe hotel. We want to offer our clientele a more refined, sophisticated service. This is also supported by a change in our commercial strategy,” she added.
Going forward, the property will mostly target groups and corporate clients internationally, as well as maintaining its GCC markets, Gaddam explained.
An overhaul of the senior management team is also underway, with some key positions already appointed.
French national Guy Bertaud was brought in as general manager six months ago, alongside a new director of operations.
“At least eight to 10 [senior management] positions have come onboard in the last six months, and most within the last two months,” said Gaddam.
She confirmed that existing staff members in lower-ranking roles will be kept on at the hotel.
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