Since ITB 2013, Dubai has welcomed 17 new hotels, further strengthening its overall hotel portfolio. According to the latest figures that brings the total number of hotels in the city to 416, with 66 of them being three star (9,016 rooms); 83 being four star (16,189 rooms), 76 being five star + (25,868 rooms) and the remaining 191 falling into the three-star category and below.In addition, Dubai has 195 hotel apartments, 58 deluxe and 137 standard, thus providing 611 accommodation establishments in the city.
Some of the headline grabbing openings included three beach hotels on Palm Jumeirah, namely Anantara Dubai Palm Jumeirah Resort and Spa in September 2013; Sofitel Dubai Palm Jumeirah Resort and Spa in July 2013 and the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, Hilton Worldwide’s luxury brand’s first property in Dubai which opened in January 2014.
Within the city, both the Oberoi and the Conrad also opened five-star properties, however, these were outweighed by the number of new hotels opening in the city that fell into the four-star category and below.
Notable openings included the four-star Novotel Hotel in al Barsha; the four-star Vida Downtown Dubai; the two-star Flora Al Souq Hotel and the one-star Africana Hotel.
According to current plans in Dubai, some 46 hotels are in the city’s pipeline to be completed by the end of 2016. This will provide an additional 13,000 rooms on top of the already over 80,000 rooms in the city. In the pipeline for a 2014 opening is Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lakes; the second tower of the JW Marriott Marquis; and Double Tree by Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Beach due to open this month.
Here is a closer look at some of the new hotel openings from March 2013 to March 2014:
Africana Hotel: One star, Opened: April 2014, 48 rooms
Skylight Hotel: Three star, Opened: April 2013, 35-room budget
Vida Downtown Dubai; Four star, Opened: May 2013. 156-room
Mark Inn Hotel Deira: Two star, Opened: June 2013, 52 rooms
The Oberoi Hotel:Five star, Opening: June 2014, 252-room
Flora Al Souq Hotel:Two star,Opened: July 2013, 80-room
Sofitel Dubai Palm Jumeirah Resort & Spa:Five star, Opened: July 2013, 361 rooms
Anantara Dubai Palm Jumeirah Resort & Spa:Five star, Opened: September 2013, 293-room resort
Conrad Hotel. Five star, Opened: September 2013,555 rooms
Golden Pearl Hotel: One star, Opened: November 2013,39 rooms
Movenpick Hotel Jumeirah Lakes Towers: Four star, Opened: November 2013,168-room
Novotel Hotel Al Barsha:Four star,Opened: November 2013,465 rooms
Hiway Hotel:One star,Opened: November 2013, 19 rooms
Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham:Four star,Opened: November 2013,188-room
Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeira:Five star,Opened: January 2014,319-room
Dubai Marriott Al Jaddaf:Four star,Opened: February 2014,352 hotel rooms and 128 Marriott Apartments
Warwick hotel:Four star,Opened: March 2014,357 rooms
About Dubai’s Tourism Vision for 2020
Developed by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) under guidance from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vision sets out how the city will double its annual visitor numbers from 10 million in 2012 to 20 million in 2020. The target of 20 million visitors will be achieved through meeting a number of objectives. First, maintaining existing market share of the outbound tourism of all source markets: economic and demographic factors will increase the amount of outbound tourists in each market, therefore maintaining Dubai’s existing percentage market share will deliver an up-lift in visitor numbers. Second, increasing awareness and consideration to visit in a number of source markets which DTCM has identified as having significant potential for growth, such as Latin America, China and the emerging economies of Africa. Third, increasing the number of repeat visits, already a significant driver for tourism in the city.
