Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) has revealed that Mantis Collection, the owner of boutique hotels and eco-escapes, will be managing all hospitality facilities under its ‘Sharjah Collection’ brand.
The joint venture was signed and announced at the 38th World Travel Market (WTM) London held in the UK from November 6-8.
The selection of Mantis was made because of its experience in delivering and managing boutique sustainable hospitality facilities worldwide, with Shurooq adding in a statement that Mantis was "an obvious choice due to the similarity in the nature and scale of projects that it is building under the Sharjah Collection brand".
The first phase of the Sharjah Collection portfolio of projects comprises four key developments: Kingfisher Lodge in Kalba as part of the Kalba Eco-tourism project; Al Badayer Oasis at Al Badayer desert; Bait Khalid bin Ibrahim in Heart of Sharjah; and the Fossil Rock Lodge at the Mleiha Archaeological and Eco-tourism project.
The first, Kingfisher Lodge, is a five-star property part of Shurooq’s Kalba Eco-Tourism Project, that will feature 20 tents. Guests will have the opportunity to stay in an untouched habitat inhabited by wildlife including kingfisher birds, turtles and reptiles, take kayaks around the mangroves, and walk along a beach that opens up to the Indian Ocean.
Developed over 24,000 square metres, Al Badayer Oasis comprises a camp, a resort, a lodge and a host of restaurants and cafés. The Al Badayer Oasis is a 40-minute drive from the centre of Sharjah. Offering guests a choice between tent and lodge accommodations, the site also offers an amphitheatre for live entertainment events, a mosque, tents, shops, kiosks, turrets and parking areas for cars and buses. Designed to resemble a true oasis, the attraction features extensive use of palm trees, as well as bridge-like wooden walkways over water channels and streams.
Accommodating up to 10 guests at a time, Mleiha Fossil Rock Lodge is part of the Mleiha Archaeological and Eco-tourism project in Mleiha – a site which was home to some of the earliest human settlers who inhabited the area 130,000 years ago. Created from two 1960s single-story, stone-built buildings, the facility is located close to the UAE’s first petroleum pump, acknowledging the role that oil has played in the creation of the UAE.
Bait Khalid bin Ibrahim in Heart of Sharjah originally belonged to a wealthy pearl merchant from Bahrain. Situated on the Sharjah Creek, the property has been converted into two 11-key hotels.
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His Excellency Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq, commented in a statement: "The Sharjah Collection is one of the newest hospitality enterprises in the UAE and the region, and in its first phase of development, is bringing to life four luxury boutiques and eco lodges. The number of projects under our portfolio will gradually increase, and our scope will expand."
Mantis chairman Adrian Gardiner noted: "Our agreement with Shurooq’s important expansion is yet another important project in our portfolio of international ventures. Our strategy for managing the Sharjah Collection will draw from Sharjah’s unique culture and heritage and incorporate their high quality of service."
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