New hotels expected in 2021 in the Middle and Near East

Luxury and beautiful resorts, of course, but also design and lifestyle: a look at the new hotels due to open this year in the Middle and Near East.

Dubai is set to see a new wave of openings in the run-up to the World Expo, which was postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the pandemic. It will finally be held from 1 October to 31 March 2022, and for the occasion, the emirate will be offering visitors a more diversified range of hotels, with, for example, the arrival of low-cost lifestyle brands. 25 Hours and Mama Shelter. Mama Shelter will open its doors in the heart of the business district in the third quarter of 2021. Similarly, the Hyatt Centric La Mer Dubai is expected later this year. On the Marriott side, a new hotel residence has been announced for the second quarter with the Residence Inn Al Jaddaf, marking the first steps of the long-stay brand in the United Arab Emirates.

Downtown Dubai will see a number of developments over the course of the year, including the first address in the Middle East for SLS, the luxury and trendy brand from the American group SBE. recently acquired by Accor. At the end of the year, an Edition hotel, developed by Ian Schrager and Marriott, has also been announced. Finally, the addition of a second Mandarin Oriental on Sheikh Zayed Road, following the one opened in the Jumeirah district, should materialise in 2021.

However, the Emirate will continue to add new top-of-the-range leisure hotels with the debut of Corinthia on the Dubai Marina and a new Rixos resort as part of the Jewel of the Creek development. On Palm Jumeirah, a St Regis and a Marriott resort are in the pipeline, as is a hotel inspired by the jet-set lifestyle of Miami Beach, Th8 Dubai, developed by SBE. Lastly, the mega-resort Atlantis The Palm will be complemented by another establishment of impressive dimensions, Atlantis, The Royal. Featuring 795 rooms and 90 swimming pools, it will offer a wide range of restaurants, with star chefs including Heston Blumenthal and José Andrés.

Dubai is the focus of most of the region's developments, other new hotels are also being prepared in the gulf countries. For example, Mama Shelter will be setting up in Manama, the capital of BahrainIn the third quarter, Banyan Tree will open a 160-room hotel with two restaurants and a rooftop swimming pool. For its part, the Banyan Tree resorts brand will be arriving in Qatar with an urban hotel in the city of Mushaireb. Visit Sultanate of OmanIn addition to the new Alila Hinu Bay resort near Salalah, the capital will see the completion of the Jumeirah Muscat Bay, next door to the Shangri-La in the Bandar Jissah area.

In Saudi ArabiaThe JW Marriott Burj Rafal will open in the third quarter, five minutes' drive from the King Abdullah Financial District. The JW Marriott Burj Rafal will open its doors in the third quarter, a five-minute drive from the King Abdullah Financial District. The kingdom, which already saw the arrival in January of a vast business hotel, the Grand Hyatt Al Khobar, will also see several inaugurations in Jeddah with a luxurious Raffles and a Swissôtel Living long-stay establishment.

In the Middle EastA luxurious Ritz-Carlton will open its doors in the third quarter in the Jordanian capital. Amman. Housed in two towers, the hotel will offer 228 rooms, including 34 suites and 90 flats, as well as several outdoor and indoor pools and a vast 1,000 m2 ballroom.

In IsraelAt the beginning of June, IHG will its Six Senses luxury resort brand in the heart of the Negev desert. Nestled on a cliff, Six Senses Shaharut extends over almost 18 hectares, but will only offer 40 exclusive villas and suites in this spectacular landscape, with thatched roofs and walls made of rough-cut limestone and flint, reminiscent of the structures inhabited by the Nabataeans 2,000 years ago.