AccorHotels will be bringing its boutique Mama Shelter hotel brand to Dubai–the first time the company has launched a new brand in the Gulf since it finalized the acquisition of FRHI last year.
According to AccorHotel’s Middle East and Africa CEO Olivier Granet told Arabian Business, the new-build boutique property will be located in Business Bay along the new Dubai Water Canal.
The 200-guestroom hotel is expected to open in 2020.
The move reflects the growing trend of affordable branded hospitality, even in markets that are regularly geared toward luxury. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to create a new “lifestyle” division for its boutique brands, which will include its stake in Germany’s 25Hours Hostels and its nascent Jo&Joe brand, as well as the boutique MamaShelter properties.
AccorHotels plans to double its Middle East portfolio over the next three years from 25,000 rooms to 50,000 by opening (on average) between 15 and 20 new hotels across the region each year. Granet said the group was signing deals for new hotels at a rate of one every two weeks. “We are trying to go quite fast,” he said.