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High hopes for Vida, Rove brands

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Dubai Trolley ... will connect the 500-acre Downtown Dubai area

Emaar Hospitality has high hopes for its Vida and newly launched Rove brand as the UAE group presses ahead with expansion overseas.
The Vida brand is approachable, fun and unpretentious, just like the new generation of travellers it aims to attract, Philippe Zuber, Emaar Hospitality’s chief operating officer, tells TTN

The group operates The Address Hotels and Resorts, Vida Hotels and Resorts and the recently launched Rove Hotels.

Vida has two properties currently in operation –  Vida Downtown Dubai and Manzil Downtown Dubai – and also manages the Vida Residence, The Hills, and Vida Residence, Downtown Dubai.

Now, private developer Nshama has just signed a deal with Vida to operate a boutique hotel and serviced residences in the 750-acre Town Square development in Dubai.

Located near Al Barsha and slated for an opening three years from now, Vida Town Square Dubai will serve as a smart urban hub for the connected traveller, with 180 hotel rooms and serviced residences, he reveals.

“By far, our most profitable hotel is The Address Downtown Hotel, our flagship property with its iconic location near the Burj Khalifa. It has been renovated and refreshed, and it is clearly a favourite with our customers. It scores the highest in terms of number of nights and popularity,” he says.


ROVE HOTELS

Meanwhile, Rove Hotels will “redefine the code for the entry-level hospitality industry”, believes Zuber, who has 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

“We will provide a lifestyle experience to customers, and not just the bare minimum,” he says.

Emaar’s basic-level brand will roll out in 10 properties across central locations in Dubai and the region by 2020, with the first hotel opening scheduled for end of this year.


Zuber ... clear ambitions to expand overseas

INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION

So how far does Emaar Hospitality plan to step outside of Dubai and the UAE?

“Thank you for this question, I thought you would never ask!” jokes

Zuber. “Emaar Hospitality Group has clear ambitions to have its footprint outside of Dubai. We are an Emirati company, so Dubai will always be our home base and we have aggressive expansion plans for the emirate, but we will also be looking outside.

“The Address Residence Istanbul, fully serviced luxury five-star residences, is under construction as we speak. We have signed a management agreement for a property in Abuja, Nigeria. We are talking many, many countries in the future,” he continues.

“Our expertise in working with mixed-use developments sets us apart from all hospitality brands around the world. We know how to manage hotels and residences, and this model is becoming more and more important for us as time goes by. It’s in our DNA.”


DUBAI TROLLEY IS HERE

Meanwhile, the region’s first hop-on hop-off trolley system in Downtown Dubai, also featuring the world’s first hydrogen-powered trolley trams, was currently being tested as TTN goes to press.

Dubai Trolley’s first phase that will be unveiled soon connects visitors and residents over a distance of 1km, passing by some of the world’s iconic landmarks including Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall, The Dubai Fountain, Souk Al Bahar and Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard.

It will eventually span seven kilometres across the entire breadth of the 500-acre Downtown Dubai area.



By Rashi Sen

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