Dubai: The lights have gone on at the seahorse-shaped Jumeirah Bay, Dubai’s next big destination for luxury living.
The first component of that experience — a Bulgari hotel and right on the waterfront — opened its doors wide on Wednesday (December 6) and to be followed shortly by the branded residential component spread across six buildings.
An overnight stay in the hotel will come at Dh4,000 to Dh5,000 ($1,333), of course depending on whether it is the peak season or not.
Resorts and Residences
The hotel component will feature 121 keys, with 50 being for the super-premium suites and villas. Meraas is the master-developer of Jumeirah Bay and also of the hotel and residences.
This is the first hotel — and residences — bearing the Italian jeweller’s name anywhere in the Middle East.
As such, there are only five Bulgari hotels in the world and to be followed shortly by a sixth, in Shanghai.
By 2020, the one in Moscow will have opened and another five are in the works, in New York and Beverley Hills among others.
But one thing Bulgari will not do is be associated with “100 hotels and become a player in the hotel industry,” according to Silvio Ursini, Executive Vice-President of Bulgari and head of Bulgari Hotels & Resorts.
“It took us 15 years to get to three hotels and now five. We wanted to create something that’s not too big or businessy. Our hotels are for those who want the hotels of old, where everything was crafted to perfection. That’s what we’ve delivered in Dubai.”
Priciest units
Earlier this year, Bulgari struck some of the priciest deals for off-plan units in Dubai — two of the Bulgari Residences there fetched Dh60 million and Dh50 million, respectively.
The homes are part of the 1-7 million square foot Bulgari Resort and Residences development.
Meraas Holding, a Dubai-based real estate and development company, signed an agreement with Bulgari Hotels and Resorts to bring the luxury brand to the emirate. It will be the hotel company’s fifth property after those in Milan, Bali, London and Shanghai.
Property profile
The Bulgari Resorts at Jumeirah Bay island, a six-million-square-foot mixed-use development is sculpted in the shape of a titanic seahorse.
Besides the rooms and suites in the main hotel buildings, there will also be 20 hotel villas and a marina. The marine complex will cover an area of 1.7 million square feet.
The hotel is expected the third designer hotel in the UAE, followed by the Armani Hotel in Dubai and the Palazzo Versace.
Designer
The Bulgari property in Dubai was designed by Italian architectural firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and Partners, which have both traditional and modern themes.
It is part of Bulgari Hotels and Resorts’ plan to have a stronger presence in the Gulf, according to Jean-Christophe Babin, chief executive of Bulgari Group.
