Dubai: Accor Middle East has announced the opening of its first Pullman hotel in the region, the Pullman Dubai Mall of the Emirates (MoE) Hotel.
The new high-end hotel joins a network of almost 50 Pullman properties across the world and will be offering special Eid rates to coincide with its launch.
"Pullman Dubai MoE compliments Accor's existing collection of hotels in the Middle East and is designed to cater to leisure and business travellers as well as to the MICE [Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions] segment," said Christophe Landais, Managing Director Accor Middle East.
The hotel aims to cater to the growing MICE industry with its in-built conference facilities which include 800 square metres of meeting space, nine rooms with individual pre-function areas, board rooms, and several venues for cocktail receptions and creative breaks.
The upscale hotel segment represents 40 per cent of hotel industry volume, one of the industry's fastest-growing segments, with demand rising by over 7 per cent a year.
Features
The 24-storey development is located beside the Mall of the Emirates and features 481 rooms which include 94 suites. Beginning at 56 square metres, the suites feature floor to ceiling windows, free-standing bathtubs and separate rain showers.
"In terms of location, the hotel has quite a unique position and will attract a lot of the GCC family market who would want to stay near a shopping mall. MoE's new extended fashion dome will help the hotel's occupancy rate," Ellen Montanari, senior consultant at TRI Hospitality Consulting told Gulf News. The hotel's recreational facilities include a Fit lounge with cardio and weight training, dry sauna and steam rooms, two indoor swimming pools and jacuzzi. The hotel will also feature a Sanctuary Pool and Spa Lounge, Vantage bar, Sanabel restaurant and Soda Box restaurant.
"The market in Dubai has evolved dramatically in the last two years. Around 6,700 rooms have opened in Dubai from January and there are another 3000 planned before the end of the year increasing the supply by 20 per cent.
Demand-supply scene
"At the moment what we're seeing is an imbalance between supply and demand so its going to take time before its completely stable again. Pullman however is not a luxury hotel but an upscale hotel serving a niche market of business travellers. Because of this and our network we hope we'll do well," said Landais.
A second Pullman hotel is scheduled to open in Jumeirah Lake Towers in 2012 and there are further plans aimed a developing further hotels in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Global presence
Accor Middle East is a French hotel operator currently operates 33 hotels ranging from economy to luxury in nine countries across the region. Accor's portofolio include Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, ibis, All Seasons, Etap hotel, Formule 1 and hotelF1.
Pullman is Accor's upscale hotel brand designed with the requirements of business women and men in mind.
By the end of 2010, the Pullman network will include 60 hotels across Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Latin America; with a target network of over 150 establishments around the world.
