DUBAI 29 April 2018: Dubai-based master developer Nakheel is planning a partnership with Austria’s largest independent hotel chain, Vienna House, to create a US$160 million, 600-room beachfront resort at Deira Islands, adding yet another international hospitality brand to the emirate’s ever-growing choice of accommodation.
News of the planned resort – the first for Vienna House in the Middle East – was outlined in a Letter of Intent signing in Bangkok, home of Vienna House’s parent company, U City PCL. The ceremony was attended by Ali Rashid Lootah, Nakheel Chairman; Keeree Kanjanapas, U City PCL Chairman; Ms Piyaporn Phanachet, U City PCL CEO; and Rupert Simoner, CEO of Vienna International Hotel Management AG.
Under the planned partnership, the two companies will build a unique beachfront holiday complex – Vienna House Deira Beach – at Deira Islands, Nakheel’s new, 15.3 sq km master planned waterfront city that is transforming the area traditionally known as ‘Old Dubai’ into a world-class hub for living, leisure, tourism and retail.
The planned Vienna House partnership is Naheel’s third hospitality joint venture at Deira Islands. The developer already has 1,400 rooms under way through JVs with Spain’s RIU Hotels and Resorts and Thailand’s Centara Hotels and Resorts. In total, Nakheel has more than 3,600 keys at Deira Islands through existing or upcoming joint ventures or hotel management agreements.
Vienna House, the largest independent hotel chain in Austria, currently has more than 30 hotels across nine countries, and employees around 2,400 people. While each hotel has its own character, all have one aim: to inspire guests.
Nakheel’s anticipated joint venture with Vienna House is the latest development in the company’s aggressive expansion into Dubai’s hospitality sector, under which 18 hotels – including five star, all-inclusive and value-for-money concepts – are planned across Dubai, with eight at Deira Islands.
Deira Islands are adding 40 km, including 21 km of beachfront, to Dubai’s coastline. The project paves the way for hotels and serviced apartments, retail destinations, mixed-use buildings and residential waterside developments at what will become Dubai’s newest hub for culture, tourism, entertainment and leisure. Nakheel itself is bringing a host of attractions to the islands, including Deira Mall and Deira Islands Night Souk, two world-class destinations that will add a new dimension to Dubai’s leisure and retail scene.