Damac reveals more details on lifestyle offering

Damac has unveiled details of its latest brand, Naia Hotels & Hotel Apartments, under which the first property will open next month in Downtown Dubai, and the second project, a fully serviced hotel & hotel apartments, will open on Damac’s master development, Akoya by Damac.

Naia is a modern, lifestyle brand, which according to Damac “provides unrivalled lifestyle services to guests in the most sought-after projects and locations in Dubai, such as the Burj Khalifa area, in addition to other vibrant locations”.

Niall McLoughlin, senior vice president – corporate communications and investor relations at Damac Properties told Hotelier: “Naia is positioned as ‘the city is yours’. So come and stay, have a great experience with the room but how do we facilitate for you to go out and explore the city?

“For all the staff it’s about expertise, so when you talk to a receptionist, a housekeeper – they are going to have knowledge about what’s going on in the city and they will assist you to discover it.

“The restaurant in Naia Breeze is a café, so it’s touching on the local element – how do we partner with local artists. So it’s just a sense of local discovery and really authentic quality in terms of our food products.

“Naia is positioned a little more for the youthful demographic and Damac Maison is that luxury experience.”

Naia Breeze will open next month in business Bay with 339 serviced apartment units, a café, outdoor swimming pool, separate male and female Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, a gym and a kid’s playground.

Naia’s Akoya Oxygen development, to be completed by 2019, will comprise a serviced apartment property alongside Damac’s first full service hotel.

The property will be set on a 1.3 km retail strip, The Drive at Akoya by Damac, with meeting outdoor cinema, skating rink and it will have views across the Trump International Golf Club, which is now fully grassed.

McLoughlin explains that the F&B element will be the only thing that “will be substantially enhanced versus the hotel apartments” in the full service hotel, which is to have up to 600 keys across its 28 floors.

“Compared to a hotel apartments, you’re not going to have kitchen facilities but there is going to be F&B, so we’re looking at some interesting concepts right now, as well as meetings facilities,” he said.

The company is currently working with consultants from California on developing F&B concepts.

Similarly to Damac Maison, the company’s luxury serviced apartment offering that has already been rolled out in three locations, Naia Breeze and the serviced apartment offering at Akoya by Damac, will sell individual units and offer the chance for owners to submit their apartments into a rental pool. Damac will operate the apartments in the rental pool as serviced apartments.

Naia Hotel will also offer would-be investors the opportunity to own hotel rooms, which provide a 40% share in room revenue to the owner. The units will come complete with title deeds and 14 free night’s stay a year as well as zero service and utility charges.