Hard Rock lines up Middle East hotel market
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US hotel and entertainment company, Hard Rock International, will open its first hotel in the Middle East next year.
The firm this week announced plans to open its first property in the region in Dubai Marina during the third quarter of next year.
The 281-room Hard Rock Hotel Dubai Marina will occupy the first 33 floors of the AED1.2 billion (US$326 million) Marina 101 tower. The Dubai hotel will feature two restaurants in its lobby and a lounge and restaurant on the 101st floor. Serviced apartments will occupy the remaining 68 floors of the 101-floor tower, developed by Sheffield Holdings.
Commenting on the location, group chief executive Hamish Dodds said: “This is a central and urban location in proximity to Dubai Media City, the university and everything else. It is a hub for entertainment and business. It makes a lot of sense to be where there is a huge concentration of activity,”
A second property, the 378-room Hard Rock Hotel, will open in Abu Dhabi in 2017. Hard Rock also plans to open hotels in Egypt, Morocco and Qatar in the next two to three years, and Ras Al Khaimah is on the Radar as well.
The Hard Rock brand is not new to Dubai however, as there is a Hard Rock Cafe at Dubai Festival City.
While it is unlikely that the hotels in Dubai will feature a Hard Rock Cafe, the group is looking at a second cafe opening in Dubai, with Dubai Mall in the list of potential locations. Cafes are also planned for Egypt and Morocco (in Cairo and Marrakech), which are likely to open in 2015.
Hard Rock has 21 hotels, 145 cafes and 10 casinos worldwide. Its global revenue reached US$3.5 billion in 2013. Dodds told Gulf News that he expects that to grow by 8-9% in 2014 and a “similar percentage growth” in 2015.
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