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Caesars Palace Dubai will be exiting Bluewaters Island, weeks after the UAE announced it was establishing a new regulatory authority that will be responsible for commercial gaming activities and a national lottery system in the country.
The vacated property will be taken over by Accor Group’s Ennismore and the Banyan Tree Group, which have inked a deal with Dubai Holding to set up a resort in place, a statement confirmed.
The newly established Banyan Tree Dubai will undergo a ‘phased stage of brand related upscaling improvements,’ with a scheduled opening set for November 2023, the company added.
With 179 room keys, including 30 suites and a newly constructed four-bedroom pool villa, the resort will also feature five restaurants and bars. It remains unclear at this time whether celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen, one of the signature restaurants at Caesars Palace Dubai, would be a part of this transition, along with Demon Duck by Alvin Leung, Takahisa, Venus Ristorante, Bacchanal, The Robata, and the popular Cove Beach.
Banyan Tree Dubai will also include 96 private residences comprising one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units.
As part of a long-term strategic partnership agreement between Accor and Banyan Tree Group signed in 2016, the Dubai property will follow a similar operational model applied in Banyan Tree La Cigale Doha, Qatar and Banyan Tree AlUla, Saudi Arabia, with wellness being a key component of the property.
Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO, Accor, said the partnership between the hospitality group and Dubai Holding is the “first of many projects involving our brands in the pipeline to further develop and grow our presence in Dubai and globally.”
Caesars Palace Dubai is a part of the Caesars Entertainment group, which operates more than 50 resorts and casinos across the US and Canada and is renowned for its flagship hotel and casino on the Las Vegas strip, which involves commercial gaming activities.
The brand has vacated its flagship Dubai property weeks after the UAE announced a new regulatory authority that will be responsible for commercial gaming activities and a national lottery system in the country.
A report by the state news agency announced in September that the establishment of the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), which will operate as a federal entity to introduce a framework for the initiative, which will create a “socially responsible and well-regulated gaming environment, ensuring that all participants adhere to strict guidelines and comply with the highest standards. It will coordinate regulatory activities, manage licensing nationally and facilitate unlocking the economic potential of commercial gaming responsibly”.
(Reporting by Bindu Rai, editing by Danel Luiz)
