Jumeirah plans 10 properties in China

Dubai: Luxury hotel group Jumeirah, which manages the Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach hotels, is looking to have at least 10 hotels in China in three years in a major expansion into Asia.

The company will open a regional office in Singapore in March to oversee the group's development in the region, said Tricia Warwick, Jumeirah's vice-president for sales.

"We are looking all over Asia for new developments but China is a key market. Two-thirds of our 16 hotels in Asia will be in China," Warwick told Gulf News.

So far, Jumeirah has three confirmed projects - in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The 338-room Han Tang Shanghai is scheduled to open in mid-2008. At present, Jumeirah manages 10 hotels in Dubai, London and New York and is keen to create a geographically balanced portfolio.

New hotel locations are being looked at Indonesia, Japan and India. Jumeirah has hotels under development in Phuket and Bermuda. The company also plans to open a sales office in Japan next year.

Warwick said in three years Jumeirah could have 57 properties under management and development.

Jumeirah's executive chairman Gerald Lawless earlier said the group will have close to 30 hotels operational and signed up by the end of 2007.

In Dubai, Jumeirah has four hotels under construction. It will be managing a five-star hotel project in 2009 on the Palm Jumeirah comprising 213 rooms, 45 residences and 45 serviced apartments.

The ship-shaped Jumeirah Desert Pearl Hotel, part of Al Sharq Investment's Aqua Dunya theme park in Dubailand, will be ready in early 2009.