Dubai: Luxury hotel company Jumeirah Group said that it will continue to grow organically.

While hotel companies such as Marriott International and Accor have acquired or expressed interest in acquiring other hotel companies, Jumeirah said that it is not planning takeovers at present.

“We are very satisfied with our organic growth and management agreements that we are doing now both in Dubai and across the world, particularly in Asia and the Middle East,” Gerald Lawless, Jumeirah president and chief executive, said in a phone interview.

Jumeirah, a member of Dubai Holding, operates 22 hotels, resorts and residences in the Middle East, Asia and Europe.

The company said in October that it has signed management agreements for three hotels in China — Jumeirah Haikou Resort, Jumeirah Wuhan and Jumeirah Nanjing — which are expected to open between 2016 and 2020.

In Dubai, Jumeirah is considering opening a visitor’s centre for its luxury hotel the Burj Al Arab.

“We’re looking at the possibility of providing a visitor’s centre on the land side of the bridge for the Burj Al Arab where guests would have the opportunity to take photographs of the Burj. A nice interactive visitor’s centre for our guests not only for the Burj Al Arab but for the overall Jumeirah company. It would be some time before it comes into fruition,” Lawless said.

The Burj Al Arab recently marked its 15th anniversary.

Lawless said he is satisfied with the hotel’s performance over the last 15 years.

Possible extension

“We’re very happy with the capacity in terms of the number of rooms and number of restaurants. We think it’s just right for the Burj Al Arab. There are plans for a possible extension, to maybe create our own beach. At the same time, we are looking at the feasibility of such a proposition and how it would work — we’d have to go through permit proposals and applications,” Lawless said.

He dismissed fears that the Burj Al Arab could lose its iconic status with the upcoming opening of ultra luxury hotels in Dubai.

“I think already Burj Al Arab has achieved its status and it won’t be overtaken because we are committed to ensuring that we always maintain the Burj Al Arab to the highest possible standard both in the physical product and the way we operate the hotel — the standard of service and luxury we deliver to our guests,” he said.