InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed the management agreement with Kuwait-based ACICO Gulf Real Estate to rebrand Nassima Royal Hotel to upscale hotel brand voco which will mark its debut in the Middle East.
Globally, the hotel company launched voco in June 2018 to strengthen IHG’s offer in the US $40 billion upscale segment, which is expected to grow by a further $20 billion by 2025, a statement said.
Located on Sheikh Zayed Road in close proximity to Dubai World Trade Centre, the hotel will offer 471 rooms curated for both leisure and business travellers to the city. The rebranding will include three various guest experiences — mainly ‘Come on in’ being a welcome experience in the lobby, ‘Me time’ with rooms designed to be a relaxing space, and ‘Voco life’ – a lobby bar that will serve morning coffee to cocktails in the evening.
Amenities include a business centre and 1000 sqm of meeting rooms as well as recreational facilities such as an outdoor swimming pool, a gymnasium, and a spa. The hotel also features multiple dining options including an all-day dining, the lobby bar, a pool bar and three restaurants.
Commenting on the the debut of the brand in the Dubai, IHG managing director MEA, Pascal Gauvin said the signing is in line with IHG’s direction to close the gap in the growth opportunities within the upscale hospitality market in the region.
He added: “The Dubai market is ever-changing and maturing. In the UAE alone, the unbranded accommodation market makes up 60% of the total hospitality sector. As such, we believe that the Emirate now requires a unique offering like voco to cater to mindful and self-determined audiences. voco combines the best of individual high-quality upscale hotels, with the best of IHG. It’s a brand that forms the heart of a newly built hotel or celebrates what already makes an existing hotel successful. Most importantly, guests can enjoy the freshness of unique hotels under a name they can trust.”
IHG opened the first voco branded hotel in Gold Coast, Australia and has a second hotel in operation in Cardiff, UK. The rebranding of Nassima Royal Hotel to voco is expected to be completed by Q1 2019. Nine other properties across the UK, Australia and Cyprus, all conversion projects, are slated to open in the coming years.
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