Dubai’s Nakheel inks deal for second hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall
Signs with Thailand’s Minor Hotel Group for 372-room property
Dubai developer Nakheel has inked a management agreement with Thailand’s Minor Hotel Group for a new 372-room hotel at the Ibn Battuta Mall.
The developer signed a letter of intent with the hospitality company in Bangkok, according to a company statement. Under the agreement, the hotel will be managed under the Minor’s Avani Hotels & Resorts brand.
The new 14-storey property – one of two Nakheel hotels at Ibn Battuta – will have direct access to the mall and a link to the Dubai Metro. Features include a rooftop pool, all-day dining restaurant and coffee shop.
The agreement represents the second collaboration between Nakheel and Minor Hotel Group in five months. In September last year, the two companies announced a planned joint venture for a 500-room Avani beachfront resort at Deira Islands, Nakheel’s 15.3 sq. km coastal city in Dubai. Minor’s portfolio currently comprises more than 17,000 rooms across 145 hotels, resorts and serviced suites in 22 countries under various brands.
“We continue to work with reputable international partners to bring new brands to Dubai, further enhancing and diversifying the emirate’s hotel accommodation offering,” said Nakheel Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah.
Avani Ibn Battuta forms part of Nakheel’s 4.7 million sq ft (436,644sqm) expansion to Ibn Battuta Mall, which will create another 766,000 sq ft (71,164sqm) of shopping, dining and entertainment space. The mall already welcomes around 22 million visitors a year.
Nakheel’s other hotel at Ibn Battuta – a 372-room Premier Inn – is currently under construction and due to open later this year.
The developer currently has 10 hotels, with around 4,000 rooms between them, in its hospitality portfolio pipeline. The first – a 251-room Ibis Styles hotel at Dragon Mart – opened earlier this month. Management contracts or joint venture agreements have been signed or are in process for the other seven, Nakheel said.