Country overview: More than 200 hotels earmarked for UAE [Infographic]

The TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database shows that 208 hotel schemes are currently being progressed in the UAE, including spectacular developments from Anantara and Kempinski.

The UAE has long been known for its amazing hotels and resorts, and this trend looks set to continue. Our researchers report that the country’s hospitality offering will grow by another 208 properties and 61,480 keys in the coming years.

UAE hotel openings by year

In 2021, 83 hotels will open their doors and bring 26,168 additional keys to the UAE – 19 of them are already in the pre-opening phase. There’s likely to be a big push to finish the others quickly too, so that they can host attendees of Expo 2020 in Dubai, which was delayed because of the pandemic but is now scheduled to start on 1 October 2021.

In 2022, things calm down a bit with 56 openings and 14,870 keys on the cards. For 2023, 24 hotels with 7,898 rooms are penciled in, while a further 45 properties with 12,500 rooms have been mooted for 2024 and beyond.

Of these 208 new hotels, 95 will be in the four-star category, with the remaining 113 targeting the luxurious five-star segment.

Top cities growing their hotel offering in the UAE

Across the UAE, Dubai is way out in front on a city-by-city basis, with 144 hotels and 43,846 rooms in the pipeline. Ras-al-Khaimah and Abu Dhabi follow a very distant shared second place, with 19 new properties apiece and 6,357 and 6,191 keys respectively.

Meanwhile, 15 projects with 2,745 rooms are being lined up for Sharjah, while Ajman is expected to get three additional hotels with 455 keys.

The UAE’s fastest growing hotel brands

Millennium Hotels is the top performer here with seven new hotels and 2,513 rooms on its development slate. This puts it just ahead of Rove Hotels, which will grow its footprint by six properties and 1,871 keys.

Vida Hotels & Resorts and The Address Hotels + Resorts will also open six new hotels each. However, on average, these will be smaller than Rove’s properties, bringing 1,239 and 1,046 rooms respectively into play.

Not to be overlooked, meanwhile, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts concludes the list with five ongoing projects and a whopping 2,209 rooms.

A selection of noteworthy hotel projects

Set to open in early 2022, Anantara Mina Al Arab Ras Al Khaimah Resort will offer overwater luxury on the Arabian Gulf. This new development will boast 306 rooms, suites and villas, as well as a marina, waterfront dining venues and high-end retail, making it perfect for guests looking to escape to a pristine eco-sanctuary in style.

In neighbouring Dubai, the 276-key Kempinski Hotel Business Bay will open in late 2021. Close to important landmarks such as Burj Khalifa, Emaar Square, Dubai Mall, Souq Al Bahar and Dubai Design District, its strikingly contemporary exteriors promise to help make the scheme stand out in this crowded hospitality market.

We also ought to mention DoubleTree by Hilton Dubai Al Khail Avenue Mall, which is due to launch by the end of the year. This 256-key hotel will have an all-day restaurant, coffee shop, lounge, outdoor terrace, pool deck and gym, as well as a leisure club that’s open to residents of the nearby Jumeirah Village Triangle community.

Many TOPHOTELNEWS articles draw on exclusive information from the TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database. This subscription-based product includes details of thousands of hotel projects around the world, along with the key decision-makers behind them. Please note, our data may differ from records held by other organisations. Generally, the database focuses on four- and five-star schemes of significant scale; tracks projects in either the vision, pre-planning, planning, under-construction, pre-opening or newly opened phase; and covers newbuilds, extensions, refurbishments and conversions.

Learn more

Related Articles