There is still huge opportunity for growth in the luxury hotel market with JW Marriott and other high-end brands becoming the fastest-growing unit of Marriott International, executives from the group say.
Marriott International, which already has a JW Marriott hotel in Deira, plans to open two more in Dubai.
The first of the two new properties is a Dh1.8 billion (US$490 million), two-tower project being built on Sheikh Zayed Road by Emirates Group. It will operate as the JW Marriott Marquis.
Marriott plans to open one of the 807-room towers in 2012, and the second in 2013.
The third Dubai JW Marriott hotel is a long-delayed project in Lifestyle City that is not expected to open until 2014.
"What we're getting from the luxury customer is that luxury is certainly not dead," said Don Semmler, the executive vice president of global full-service brands for Marriott International.
"Everybody wants to have the best experience possible but they're considering it more of an investment now, and they want to make sure that it's their family's best vacation and it's really high value."
The company's portfolio includes the flagship Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Renaissance boutique hotels and Courtyard, the business hotel chain. The company also owns the Ritz-Carlton, which it acquired in the 1990s.
The global hotel industry was hit hard by the economic downturn, but Marriott plans to open 10 JW Marriott hotels this year in locations including China, Turkey and the US.
"There's a big gap between what is considered uber-luxury and the quality tier," said Mitzi Gaskins, the senior director of the JW Marriott brand. "JW Marriott fits this need for a luxury level that is much more approachable."
Mr Semmler said there was a move away from customers looking for extreme opulence.
"As we research the luxury customer, we're finding that in many markets they don't want anything that is over the top," he said.
Mr Semmler said the company had even made the Ritz-Carlton slightly less formal.
"In Ritz-Carlton, you used to have to wear a jacket to come to dinner," he said. "Today, the wealthiest people on the planet want to come to dinner in their blue jeans. It's about letting people be comfortable in their own skin."
Despite delays to properties that it is waiting to manage, such as the hotel in Lifestyle City, the company is looking at the longer term.
rbundhun@thenational.ae
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Twin%20electric%20motors%20and%20105kWh%20battery%20pack%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E619hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C015Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUp%20to%20561km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQ3%20or%20Q4%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh635%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Brief scores:
Southampton 2
Armstrong 13', Soares 20'
Manchester United 2
Lukaku 33', Herrera 39'
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013