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DUBAI / EMIRATES BUSINESS
Dubai master developer Nakheel’s hospitality expansion took another leap forward, with the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) for a management agreement with Thailand’s Minor Hotel Group – one of the world’s fastest-growing hospitality companies – for a new, 372 room hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall.
The LOI was signed in Bangkok by Nakheel Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah and William Heinecke, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Minor International PCL, the parent company of the hotel owner, operator and investor, Minor Hotel Group.
Under the proposed agreement, the hotel will be managed under the vibrant AVANI Hotels & Resorts brand, which offers guests relaxed comfort and contemporary style in city and resort destinations.
The new, 14- storey hotel – one of two Nakheel hotels at Ibn Battuta and one of 10 in the developer’s overall Dubai hotel portfolio – will have direct access to the mall and a link to the Dubai Metro. Features include a rooftop pool, all day dining restaurant and coffee shop.
Today’s LOI is the second collaboration for Nakheel and Minor Hotel Group in five months. In September last year, the two companies announced a planned joint venture for a 500-room AVANI beachfront resort at Deira Islands, Nakheel ‘s 15.3 sq km coastal city in Dubai. Minor’s portfolio currently comprises more than 17,000 rooms across 145 hotels, resorts and serviced suites in 22 countries under the Anantara, AVANI, PER AQUUM, Oaks, Tivoli, Elewana, Four Seasons, Marriott, St Regis, Radisson Blu and Minor International brands.