Accor looking to bring Sofitel SO brand to Dubai

Sofitel, the luxury hotel brand of the French hotel group Accor, is looking to open a Sofitel SO hotel in Dubai by 2017.

Speaking exclusively to Hotelier Middle East, Sofitel Worldwide CEO Robert Gaymer-Jones explained that Dubai was the ideal location for its landmark hotel brand that collaborates with iconic fashion designers such as Christian Lacroix and Kenzo Takada. The group is currently working towards the opening of a SO hotel in Singapore in March 2014, in collaboration with German designer Karl Lagerfeld.

“The SO brand is very appropriate for Dubai, as there is already such an interest here for design and fashion, as well as the lifestyle that goes with them. We have already sent out a development team with a plan to bring a SO to Dubai, and we’re currently looking at two possible development opportunities, and I would like to have the first one up and running by 2017 at the latest,” said Gaymer-Jones.

“The one issue for Dubai is to make sure that we use the right designer. We can of course use one of the stable of French fashion designers, but I believe it would be interesting to find a designer from the Middle East and to put their regional influence into the hotel,” he added.

As well as the Sofitel SO hotel in Singapore, Gaymer-Jones also revealed the group is working on a SO hotel in Rio de janeiro, Brazil with French designer Jean Paul Gautier, in addition to other properties in Australia, New Zealand and Thailand.