Minor Hotels to launch first Anantara resort in Sharjah
Basma Group and ARADA have signed a management agreement with Minor Hotels to launch the Anantara Sharjah Resort.
Scheduled to open in mid-2020, the 233-key Anantara Sharjah Resort will be located on a beachfront location in Sharjah, approximately 15 minutes’ drive from Sharjah International Airport.
The Anantara Sharjah Resort will offer a selection of accommodation options including deluxe rooms and luxury suites. Facilities will include multiple dining options with a speciality restaurant located on a pier, a male and female spa and wellness centre, a kids’ club, a swimming pool and a ballroom able to accommodate up to 540 guests for a banquet.
Sharjah’s first Anantara resort marks a significant addition to the Emirate’s hospitality sector, which has seen impressive growth in recent years thanks to a long-term development strategy implemented by the Sharjah Government. The emirate recorded a 17% rise in tourist numbers in 2016, compared to the previous year, according to statistics released in April by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). Sharjah’s hospitality sector revenues also witnessed a 7.8% increase during the first half of 2017 compared with the previous year, with its value reaching AED372 million, SCTDA revealed.
The Anantara Sharjah Resort is co-owned by Basma Group and ARADA, with the latter playing a developer management role in the delivery of the property. Both companies are headquartered in Sharjah, under the chairmanship of HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi. The announcement follows a busy year for ARADA, which launched its first real estate project, Nasma Residences, in March, and Sharjah’s largest mixed-use mega-project, the AED24 billion Aljada city destination, in September.
HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, chairman of Basma Group and chairman of ARADA, said: “Anantara is one of the world’s most prestigious luxury hotel brands, and this new property marks yet another hospitality milestone for Sharjah. We’re looking forward to launching the Anantara Sharjah Resort in 2020, and delivering on our commitment to providing exceptional new destinations to the residents of Sharjah, as well as tourists to our fast-growing Emirate.”
William E. Heinecke, Founder, chairman and CEO of Minor International PCL, said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Basma Group and ARADA to bring our luxury Anantara brand to Sharjah. There is a huge opportunity within the luxury segment in this fast-growing destination and we are confident that Anantara will be well received within the market.”
Dillip Rajakarier, CEO Minor Hotels, also commented, “Anantara is very well established in the Middle East market and adding a resort in Sharjah is a great opportunity to further extend the brand in the region and reach new markets. We look forward to working with Basma Group and ARADA to bring the new resort to market and to ensuring its success as one of the leading hotels in the emirate.”
Minor Hotels currently operates 13 properties in the Middle East across four of its brands – Anantara, AVANI, Tivoli and Oaks – and has a further strong pipeline in the region across these four brands. In total, the company currently operates 39 properties in 12 countries around the world.