Caesars Entertainment has plans to expand into new markets, starting with the opening of two hotels, a conference center and a beach club in the Bluewaters manmade island in Dubai at the end of 2018, according to a report from Hotelier Middle East.
Caesars Entertainment will operate the two hotels off the coast of Jumeirah Beach Residence through a partnership with Dubai-based holding company Meraas. Both properties are slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2018. They will be the first non-gaming resorts in Caesar Entertainment's portfolio.
The first of the two opening this year—the 178-room Caesars Palace Bluewaters Dubai—will be the second operating Caesars Palace. Caesars Bluewaters Dubai will also open with 301 guestrooms. These hotels will join the 10 700-unit apartment buildings, residential facilities and 200 retail units on the island. The hotels will also join Caesars’ portfolio of properties in Middle East, following the Caesars Cairo casino in the Four Seasons First Residence Hotel, The Kings and Queens Cairo casino in the Hilton Cairo Heliopolis Hotel and the Ramses Casino in Cairo at the Ramses Hilton Hotel on the Nile River.
"Through our collaboration with Meraas, we anticipate Bluewaters Island will evolve into the region's top hospitality, dining and entertainment destination,” Mark Frissora, president and CEO of Caesars Entertainment, said in a statement. "This project represents Caesars' ability to focus on our strengths in hospitality as well as reinforce our commitment and capacity to establish brands in new global markets."
Caesars plans to open even more hotels in new markets through licensing and management agreements. Other projects in the company's pipeline include an integrated resort in Incheon, South Korea, which is currently in development, and a meetings and conference center planned for Las Vegas. Caesars also recently began construction on a new Harrah's in Northern California.