Heavens, new hotels in Dubai in 2024! This will come as no surprise to anyone, given the emirate's growing just in time a flurry of establishments that are ever stronger, ever more beautiful. And ever taller too, like one of the main hotels expected in the emirate this year, Le Ciel, in the Ciel Tower. At 365 metres, it will be the world's tallest hotel-only tower. Dominated by an observation terrace with a 360° view, crowned by a rooftop swimming pool and featuring several bars and restaurants as well as a nightclub, the skyscraper designed by architects NORR plays the king-size card with more than 1,000 suites in total spread over its 82 floors.
From the highest of the heavens to the most prestigious, Dubai is preparing this year to continue its album of luxury hotel headliners, a collection of all the big names that will soon be joined by Peninsula and Rosewood. The Dorchester Collection, which has yet to set foot in the Middle East, is only a few weeks away from unveiling its long-rumoured project: The Lana hotel. One of new jewels of the emirate with its architecture designed by Foster + Partners, its chic interiors by designers Gilles and Boissier, its 225 sophisticated rooms and suites, but also its gastronomic signatures such as Jean Imbert and multi-starred Basque chef Martin Berasategui or its rooftop with bar and swimming pool.
Situated on the edge of the Marasi Business Bay marina, The Lana has everything it takes to establish itself as one of the top hospitality venues in a city with no shortage of them. Last year's grand inauguration, with Beyoncé as guest star of its opening show, of the extravagant Atlantis The Royala luxurious addition to the mega-resort Atlantis The Palm. Among the other establishments opening in 2023, Dubai has also seen the addition of new luxury resorts, with a Banyan Tree taking the place of Caesars Palace, as well as a hotel from the Vignette Collection Th8 Palm Dubai Beach.
The island of Palm Jumeirah has also been home to major hotel brands such as Marriott, Radisson and NH, for the the brand's first appearance in the Middle East. On the World Islands archipelago of artificial islands, the Côte d'Azur Monaco Hotel - soon to be rebranded Voco - has brought the atmosphere of the French Riviera to the Gulf. At the same time, and more in the heart of the city, is the chic lifestyle hotel SO/ Dubai which has taken up residence in the slender Uptown Tower.
From ultra luxury to lifestyle
The emirate continues to add new hotel icons to its skyline. Among them, very recently, the One Za'abeel from the luxury chain One & Only, founded like Atlantis by the Kerzner International group. This new vertical urban resortThe Siro complex, soon to be complemented by the Siro wellness centre, consists of two slender towers. Connecting the two is the world's largest cantilevered platform: The Link. Rising 100 metres from the ground and spanning more than 200 metres, this long architectural feature is the focal point of the hotel's activities, with its star-studded culinary offering - Anne-Sophie Pic, Dabiz Muñoz, Paco Morales, Mehmet Gürs, Tetsuya Wakuda and the duo Bo.Lan - topped by the longest infinity pool in the United Arab Emirates.
However, Dubai has more to offer travellers than just the unique and the ultra-luxury, whether they are visiting on business or for a few days of relaxation, one not excluding the other. The arrival at the end of the year of one of the pioneering lifestyle brands at affordable prices is just one example, Mama Shelter. With an urban resort in the the brand's offbeat tone founded by Serge Trigano and now part of the Accor group, but on a Dubai scale, with 197 rooms and 204 flats, several restaurants, four swimming pools on its terrace and an open-air amphitheatre with lounge area.
What's next? Whether this year or in the years to come, the emirate will see two major hotel brands - Fairmont and Mandarin Oriental - integrated into new skyscrapers along Sheikh Zayed Road, as well as, on the leisure front, the opening of the Five Luxe hotel and a Six Senses resort on Palm Jumeirah. Jumeirah. What was for a long time the name of Dubai's residential district has become the symbol of the emirate's tourism ambitions. The name of a prestigious hotel group owned by Dubai Holding. Its legendary Burj Al Arab, whose silhouette resembles a large sail, opened the tourist narrative of the destination. Then it was the turn of Jumeirah Beach, with its wave-shaped architecture, to continue the story. A third instalment in the trilogy is in the pipeline: the Marsa Al Arab, a hotel with almost 400 rooms that looks like a futuristic yacht.
