In an exclusive interview with Hotelier Middle East, Guide de Wilde, Starwood SVP, regional director, Middle East revealed that the three property Starwood complex, comprising the 966-key Westin Dubai, the 241-key St. Regis Dubai and the 384-key W Hotel, will open next year.
Initially, the 1 million sq ft development located within the US $1.4 billion Habtoor Palace complex on the site of the old Metropolitan hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road was scheduled to open in 2017.
De Wilde commented: “It’s due to open next year progressively. So St. Regis will open in quarter two, then the W Hotel in quarter three and then toward the end of the year the Westin will open so the plan is that by the end of 2015 the whole complex will be open along with the entertainment centre.”
In addition to the three hotels being developed by Dubai-based Habtoor, the Habtoor Palace complex will include a 1100-seat theatre, a shopping arcade, tennis and sports academy and multiple-themed restaurant as well as what De Wilde describes as a “Las Vegas style entertainment centre”.
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De Wilde said: “[The entertainment centre] is mainly an events venue with major Las Vegas style shows and concerts.
“The complex will have a prime location in Dubai. The Creek is going to be moved, so the site will have a waterfront. They’re going to create two pedestrian bridges and a mega shopping mall. This is going to be a fantastic destination in Dubai and we’ll sit right at the heart with fantastic accessibility.”
Another highlight for music lovers is that Dubai is set to get its own branch of Jazz At Lincoln Centre, the New York jazz club already successful at St. Regis in Doha.
The three property hotel, the Dubai St. Regis, W and Westin on Sheik Zayed Road, will mark the entry of the St. Regis and W brands to the UAE.
The company continues to strengthen its presence in Dubai and will open a new Sheraton hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road this September, marking Starwood’s 15th hotel in Dubai, the company’s second largest hotel market behind only New York City, which has 21 hotels.
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