Spanish hotel and resort giant Sol Melia has set its sights on Dubai, where it will be opening its first regional hotel. Named the Melia Dubai, Sol Melia’s five-star “urban resort” will house 164 rooms. The Spanish National Day, 12 October 2011, has been earmarked as the opening day for this swank new Dubai luxury hotel.
This will not be a one-off plan for the hotel brand. Executive VP of the company’s Hotels Division, Andre Gerondeau revealed that this is the hotel giant’s first step to realizing their expansion plans in the Arabian Gulf region. Sol Melia is looking at extending their reach in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan at this time.
Last year, some 30,000-plus Spanish travelers visited Dubai. And this number is growing. The Spanish hotel company would be looking to exploit that audience. Emirates recently started flying the Madrid-Dubai route daily. Iberia does the same route four times a week.
Daniel Lozano, Senior VP of Melia explained why they decided to open an urban resort in Dubai. Apart from Dubai’s being the commercial hub of the region, Lozano said that the firm believed that its traditional Spanish hospitality would prove attractive to travelers and to local Arabs. Dubai seems to be the new hot spot for hotel builders. Last year, the towering Burj Khalifa in Dubai became home to the Armani hotel.
Sol Melia plans to use its European reach to build brand image in Dubai. The upcoming hotel will cost AED200 million and will house 5 restaurants (including an Indian restaurant by celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor), a Spanish tapas bar, an executive floor, a spa, and a swimming pool.
Via: FTNNews.com
