Donald Trump in talks with Damac for Dubai hotel

US property tycoon and billionaire Donald Trump is in talks with developers Damac Properties to launch a hotel in Dubai.

The five-star Trump hotel would be located in Akoya Oxygen, a green master development under construction along Umm Sequim Expressway, where Trump already is developing a second 18-hole golf course.

The hotel already is part of the development’s plan and Damac managing director Ziad El Chaar told Arabian Business he was discussing options with Trump.

“It’s definitely one of the considerations,” he said.

Trump has previously announced a luxury real estate project in the emirate but was forced to cancel it following the global financial crisis. Trump Towers was to be a mixed-use development that would have included a hotel on The Palm Jumeirah.

In May he said that cancelling had been the right decision but that he still wanted to open a self-named hotel in Dubai.

“I’d like to build a hotel in Dubai someday; I think building a hotel in Dubai would be a great honour,” Trump said.

“I would like to do a true luxury Trump International hotel in Dubai at some point.

“I don’t know [when]. We’ve discussed this with a number of people and they would love us to come and do a hotel. We almost did one but the world market crashed and we held off – intelligently, I might add. We should get credit for that.”

Trump also is building an 18-hole professional golf course and 100 luxury villas as part of the Akoya by Damac master development near Arabian Ranches.