Dubai: The first “Bulgari” branded hotel in Dubai has got itself an opening date - December 7. Located on Jumeirah Bay - a development by Meraas - the hotel will feature 101 rooms and 20 super-premium hotel villas. 

“We are proud to deliver The Bulgari Resort & Residences Dubai, a first-of-its-kind master development in scale and magnitude for Bulgari,” said Abdulla Al Habbai, Meraas’ Group Chairman.

For anyone owing or coveting a Bulgari jewellery or accessory, the new hotel is an opportunity to take the brand association to the next logical step.  

This will only be the fifth Bulgari hotel anywhere and to be followed by two others - in Shanghai and Moscow - in 2018 and 2020. The first one, in Milan, opened in 2005.

The Jumeirah Bay project also features a limited collection of Bulgari homes, with some of the recent transactions on these going for Dh50 million and more.

The Dubai property will also feature a first from the brand - the Bulgari Marina & Yacht Club. It will overlook a 50-boat harbour and “recreates the charm of a Mediterranean village in the heart of the Arabian Gulf”, the company said in a statement.

And the destination will also be a future magnet for events, corporate and private. A 360 square metre ballroom is part of the Yacht Club and can be “customised for large-scale events”.

“The Bulgari Resort & Residences Dubai represents a tribute to the importance of the Middle East market for the Bulgari brand,” said Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari. “This project… brings the best of the Italian design and lifestyle culture to one of the most modern and future oriented city in the world.”

For Meraas, the opening of the Bulgari property is just one part of its strategy to redraw the landscape of Jumeirah and create pockets of living space within them. Taking the form of a seahorse, Jumeirah Bay spreads over 6 million square feet and accessed via a 300-meter bridge exclusively provided for residents and visitors.

The Bulgari homes are split up into 165 apartments, eight penthouses and 15 mansions in three- to six-bedroom formats.

Outside of the Jumeirah Bay, Meraas has the Bluewaters, another island attraction and with the “Ain Dubai” observation wheel. And staying on the Jumeirah stretch, Meraas opened up the first phase of La Mer as a sea-side attraction.