Four Seasons to Debut in Dubai Next Year

Dubai has been attracting big-name luxury developers for years now, so it should be no surprise at all that Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts will open its first hotel in the United Arab Emirates in Dubai during the fourth quarter of 2014. Chris Norton, president of hotel operations Europe, Middle East and Africa for Four Seasons, told AME Info that the brand has been working towards moving into Dubai for several years, and will be located on Jumeirah Beach.

Norton told AME Info that he believes the property's location and the strength of the Four Seasons brand will help the property stand out among the hotel-intensive Dubai market, and is confident that the hotel will achieve 80 percent occupancy within 18 months of operation.

The five-story property will have 237 guestrooms and 49 suites, and will also have a 6,458-square-foot ballroom and five meeting rooms, as well as a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts and a private beach club. 

Norton told Arabian Business that Four Seasons is not looking to compete in the business travel segment in the UAE, and will be aiming to pick up travelers mainly in resort tourism by taking advantage of the region's current tourism boom. Norton claims that the Four Seasons brand waited until now to debut in the market due to the difficulty in finding the correct real estate, opting to build only in a prime location.

"If you look at occupancies today in town, this part of the world is becoming a hub and there's plenty of space for more rooms," Norton said.

Zawya confirmed that the development of other Four Seasons properties in the Middle East and North African regions is on schedule, including the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay (due to open mid 2014) and Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca (due to open mid 2014). Other projects still in the preliminary stages include Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island, Four Seasons Resort Oman, Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait City and Four Seasons Hotel Jeddah.