InterContinental Hotels Group has signed a management agreement with Kingston Holdings International to develop a new Holiday Inn & Suites in Dubai Business Bay. The signing aligns with IHG’s hotel pipeline in the area, which includes a Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza and an InterContinental Residences.
Expected to open in 2021, Holiday Inn & Suites Dubai Business Bay will be in Dubai’s commercial and lifestyle hub and close to major attractions, such as Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. With 350 guestrooms, the hotel will be part of a mixed-use development that includes 400 residences and a small boutique shopping arcade.
“Business Bay is the fastest growing district in Dubai and this signing is in line with our strategy to grow the well-recognized Holiday Inn brand in emerging epicentres," Pascal Gauvin, COO, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG, said in a statement.
IHG currently has 80 hotels operating across five of the company’s brands in the Middle East region, including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites, with a further 27 in the development pipeline.
In mid-August, IHG signed two other properties for the Dubai Business Bay area—Crowne Plaza Dubai Business Bay and InterContinental Residences Dubai Business Bay—in partnership with API Hotels & Resorts. Expected to open in 2019 with 290 guestrooms and suites, Crowne Plaza Dubai Business Bay will be on the Business Bay Canal, near the Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall and other developing commercial and residential communities. InterContinental Residences Dubai Business Bay will be on the Business Bay Canal extension of the Dubai Creek, across from the Crowne Plaza Dubai Business Bay, with 30 studios, 60 one-bedroom, 60 two-bedroom and 10 three-bedroom suites.
The area, currently under development as part of Marasi Business Bay, has the region’s first purpose-built yachting destination, restaurants and cafes across five marinas, more than 1,250 berths, boutiques and entertainment facilities. This waterfront property will also be near business areas, such as Dubai International Financial Center and Business Bay’s commercial centers.