Tag Archives: Ali Rashid Lootah

Nakheel’s second hotel at Dragon City – a 304-room Premier Inn – is now open, marking another key milestone in the developer’s hospitality business strategy. Premier Inn Dragon City, located just steps away from the world-famous Dragon Mart and its 5,000 shops, restaurants and attractions, was officially opened on December 12 by Ali Rashid Lootah, Chairman of Nakheel and Alison Brittain, Chief Executive Officer of Whitbread, the UK’s largest hospitality company and owner of the Premier Inn brand.   The eight-storey hotel features a 320-seater restaurant, a Costa Coffee shop, a fully-equipped gym and meeting facilities. It is the fourth Nakheel hotel to be delivered, coming hot on the heels of the inauguration last week of its second hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall. Premier Inn also operates Nakheel’s first hotel at Ibn Battuta, opened in 2016. Ali Rashid Lootah said, “Today marks another milestone for Nakheel, Dragon City and Dubai as we deliver the fourth hotel in our hospitality project portfolio, and the second at this globally-renowned destination. We are confident that this new hotel will be a big hit with Dragon City’s 40 million annual visitors, who come from the UAE, GCC and beyond to shop and trade at this world-famous destination.” Brittain said, “Having been part of the UAE hospitality landscape for more than a decade, it’s a true testament to the quality of Premier Inn that we are able to open our eighth hotel in the region. Our hotel at Dragon City marks the second in our strategic partnership with Nakheel, following the successful launch of Premier Inn Ibn Battuta Mall in 2016.”

Nakheel is marking a key milestone in its hospitality business strategy with the opening of the Avani Ibn Battuta Dubai. The hotel was inaugurated on December 9, 2019 by Nakheel Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah and William E. Heinecke, Founder, Chairman and Group CEO of Thailand’s Minor International, owner and operator of the Avani brand. The new-build, 18-storey Avani is the second Nakheel hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall and one of several in operation or under construction in the developer’s hospitality project portfolio. Located less than a minute’s walk from the world-famous mall and its 400 outlets, Avani Ibn Battuta Dubai has 360 guest rooms, including 15 suites, a pool deck with dining and recreational facilities, an all-day dining restaurant, a coffee shop, gym, meeting facilities and parking for 128 vehicles. The hotel is also accessible via Dubai Metro. Ali Rashid Lootah, Chairman, Nakheel, said, “Nakheel continues to play a key role in enhancing Dubai’s hospitality offering in line with the emirate’s economic and tourism goals, and we are proud to partner with Minor Hotels to bring the Avani brand to Ibn Battuta Mall. With more than 21 million visitors a year, the mall is a world-leading destination where quality accommodation is in demand, as is clear from the constantly-high occupancy rates of our first hotel here.” William E. Heinecke, Chairman, Founder and Group CEO, Minor International, commented, “Minor Hotels is thrilled to officially inaugurate Avani Ibn Battuta Dubai today, which represents both a fantastic addition to the brand’s fast-growing portfolio and our first new-build Avani in the Middle East region. We are confident that the property will be very well received in the Dubai market and look forward to working with …

Dubai developer Nakheel broke ground on a new, AED176 million hotel at Dragon City. The Premier Inn is Nakheel’s second hotel at Dragon City. The ground-breaking ceremony, led by Nakheel Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah, comes less than two weeks after the company awarded a contract worth AED136 million to Al Ghurair Contracting and Engineering Works to build the 304-room hotel. Nakheel’s first hotel, a 251-room ibis Styles hotel, opened in February 2016. Set for delivery in 2019, Premier Inn Dragon City is the latest project in Nakheel’s AED5 billion hospitality expansion. Last week, the company confirmed new hotels at Jumeirah Village Circle and Discovery Gardens, bringing its number of hospitality projects to 18. Lootah said: “Today marks another milestone in our hospitality expansion, and highlights our commitment to delivering new hotels across Dubai in line with the Government of Dubai’s 2021 vision. I am delighted to declare that work is officially under way at Premier Inn Dragon City, and to further reinforce our already highly-successful relationship with Whitbread through this latest partnership.” Premier Inn Dragon City is part of a huge new master plan that is transforming the area into a giant retail, residential and recreational complex of more than 11 million square feet.With a built-up area of 178,000 sq ft across eight floors, the hotel will have a restaurant, Costa coffee shop and gym. Nakheel’s hospitality expansion is bringing 18 new hotels and serviced apartment complexes, with over 5,800 rooms between them, to Dubai.

Dubai-based developer Nakheel and Thailand’s Minor Hotels have signed a management agreement for a new 372-room AVANI hotel to be constructed at Ibn Battuta Mall. Under the agreement, signed in Bangkok by Nakheel Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah and William E. Heinecke, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Minor International, the hotel will be managed under the vibrant AVANI Hotels & Resorts brand, which offers guests relaxed comfort and contemporary style in city and resort destinations. The 18-storey hotel is the second Nakheel hotel at Ibn Battuta and one of 16 in the developer’s hospitality project portfolio. Adjacent to the recently-opened Ibn Battuta Metro Link, which is directly connected to the mall, the hotel will feature a pool, spa, gym, all-day dining restaurant, coffee shop and parking. Minor Hotels’ portfolio currently comprises more than 20,000 rooms across 156 hotels, resorts and serviced suites in 24 countries under the Anantara, AVANI, PER AQUUM, Oaks, Tivoli, Elewana, Four Seasons, Marriott, St Regis, Radisson Blu and Minor International brands. Nakheel Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah said: “Today marks yet another key milestone in our commitment to enhancing and diversifying Dubai’s hotel offering by bringing new, reputable international hospitality brands to the emirate in line with the Government’s vision. We are delighted to welcome Minor and the AVANI brand to Ibn Battuta Mall, which, with over 20 million visitors a year, is one of Dubai’s leading tourist destinations.” William E. Heinecke commented: “We are very pleased to be partnering with Nakheel for the new AVANI hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai. Having launched our upscale AVANI brand in the region last year, we are delighted to continue the brand’s expansion in the UAE with this new hotel …