Indian operator Suba debuts in Dubai today

Mumbai-based hotel management company Suba Group of Hotels opens the doors to guests today at its first property outside of India, located in Deira, Dubai.

Suba invested AED10 million (US $2.7 million) in the new-build four-star boutique hotel, which features 80 rooms and 12 suites, plus a spa, sauna and steam room, swimming pool and gym, cafe, all-day dining restaurant Cinnamon, and a speciality restaurant Curry and Wok, to serve a variety of Asian food.

The hotel, according to Suba Group of Hotels and parent company MRL Group managing director, Mansur Mehta, will be targeted at business travellers, and in particular guests stopping over from Tanzania and Mozambique on their way to India.

“We have a very good market from Tanzania and Mozambique and we can give them a very good packages. Our target is going to be business travellers,” commented Mehta.

Additionally, Mehta cites Russia and Iran as target markets, and says the company already sees “a lot of enquiries” from those countries.

He added that repeat customers are “our asset” and said that in all six of the company’s properties in India, 60% of guests are repeat customers.

The hotel is locally owned, and Shariah compliant with a prayer room in the lobby. It has been given a four-star boutique rating by Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

Mehta said the company has plans to expand further within the GCC, with the second property to be located in Al Barsha, Dubai, followed by Muscat, Bahrain and then Qatar.

Commenting on when he expects the next Dubai property to be signed, Mehta said: “We will wait for six to eight months. We first have to test the water; in hotel investment normally a person waits for a year but we don’t have the patience.”

Currently Suba Group of Hotels only operates under one brand – the four-star boutique brand ‘Suba’. Mehta confirmed: “We don’t have any plans to have a five star or a two star. Ours is four star.

The introductory rate at the hotel will be AED500 per night, and this is set to be reviewed once the season is fully underway

The general manager of the hotel is Wajeed Bagwan who has been in Dubai since 2008 and has worked for Taj Group of Hotels and Oberoi Hotels and Resorts among others.

Suba Group of Hotels currently manages three hotels in Mumbai, one in Ahmedabad and one in Dahej.