Friday, Aug 28, 2015
Dubai: Langham Hospitality Group is looking to open a third property in Dubai and is eyeing an Iran entry following the lifting of economic sanctions imposed on the country, according to the group’s top executive.
If the Dubai hotel goes ahead, it will be under the Hong Kong-based luxury hotel chain’s new upscale brand Cordis Hotels and Resorts, Robert Warman, its chief executive, told Gulf News by phone.
“We are in the beginning of negotiations to announce a Cordis hotel in Dubai,” he said. He, however, did not give additional details on the project.
Warman said the upscale market segment is growing in the Middle East and China.
Cordis, which was announced in February this year, targets corporate and leisure travellers.
Langham Place, in Mongkok, Hong Kong, was rebranded on Wednesday to Cordis, making it the first property under the new brand.
Four more Cordis-branded hotels are set to open in China, and one in Bali, Indonesia. The group is also considering introducing the brand in London, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Singapore and Bangkok.
Langham Hospitality’s other plans in Dubai include two properties under the luxury Langham Hotels and Resorts brand.
The Langham, Palm Jumeirah — a resort — is expected to open in early 2017. Meanwhile, the Dh1 billion Langham Place Downtown Dubai, is set to open in 2018.
Warman said a large number of corporate and leisure travellers, both domestic and international, visit Dubai, making it an attractive market.
Asked if the group thinks it is a latecomer to the Dubai hospitality market, Warman said: “Based on the fact that our company is still relatively young — eight to nine years old — no, we feel that our expansion is quick.”
Elsewhere in the UAE, Langham Hospitality is looking to open a hotel under the Langham Hotels and Resorts brand in Abu Dhabi. It is also eyeing hotels in other emirates, such as Sharjah and Fujairah.
“It is important to first secure locations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Certainly our future plans will be a move to the other emirates. We find that each one of the emirates continue to grow, particularly in business travel,” he said.
Beyond the UAE, the group is interested in entering Iran once sanctions imposed on the country are lifted, which is expected to be in early 2016.
“We find that Iran is an attractive market to be in. It’s a large country with a lot of resources and probably pent up demand on business … if sanctions are lifted and trade begins, we will assess if the market becomes deep enough for corporate travel and then we’ll look at pursuing opportunities for our brands there,” Warman said.
Elsewhere in the region, the group expects to have two properties in Doha, Qatar (Langham and Langham Place) and one in Beirut, Lebanon (Langham) in 2017.
It is also considering having hotels in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
“We think Saudi Arabia is going to be a growing market, both Jeddah and Riyadh … we are looking at resort opportunities in Oman,” Warman said.
He declined to give his forecast for the company’s profit and revenue for the current year.
He said the group is not currently considering introducing a budget brand.
By Sarah Algethami Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2015. All rights reserved.
