A mock up of the Jewel of the Creek by its contractors HLG. A mock up of the Jewel of the Creek by its contractors HLG.

It is estimated that 1500 hotel rooms are set to go live in the next few years in Deira.

In a recent exclusive interview with Hotelier Middle East, Hosni Hadi of the recently re-branded Carlton Palace Hotel said: “Diera is coming back, and coming back strong. Our takeover of the erstwhile Metropolitan Palace Hotel stands testament to that.”

“With the Palm Deira developments on track along with many other hotel brands, both large and small, Deira is set to become a competitive district in the near future,” he added.

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Following the growth of the city, and expansion of its boundaries, Deira’s hospitality scene started assuming a back seat. “The emphasis shifted to the Palm, Jebel Ali and so forth,” he said.

But as tourists become more discerning, so do their tastes, and while the ‘New Dubai’ continues to attract tourists, they simultaneously seek the rustic charm of the city. A sense of where it all began.

“Of course we love to see the Burj Khalifa and the recent developments on the Jumeirah road, but I enjoyed a walking tour around Bur Dubai and Deira; it filled me with a sense of ‘where it all began’,” a Portuguese tourist told Hotelier.

A Thailand-based tourist told Hotelier, he would never stay anywhere else apart from Deira; merely fetching a cab to get to the hot spots, “I enjoy the AED 1 water boat (Abra) ride, it’s something similar to what we have in Bangkok. I simply ride it from end to end when I travel to Dubai on business with some time to spare.”

However, the buzz around the ‘old town’ surrounds the Dubai International Real Estate (DIRE) development ‘Jewel of the Creek’.

The US $1.09 billion development will have a mixed-use concept, with hotels, residential and office developments coming up.
The property sits on the banks of Deira overlooking Bur Dubai and can be seen while driving past the Maktoum Bridge.

The mixed efforts of independent hoteliers and large groups are playing an important part in the revival of one of Dubai’s oldest districts. Hoteliers remain strongly confident of their prospects in 2016.