FOUR Seasons Hotels and Resorts will continue to grow its footprint in the Middle East, with the highly anticipated Four Seasons Resort Dubai, located at Jumeirah Beach Road, due to open in Q4 2014.
Ahead of Arabian Travel Market, Four Seasons conducted a series of workshops across the GCC with a delegation comprising 10 GMs from Asia-Pacific the Middle East and Europe, led by president Hotel Operations Europe, Middle East and Africa, Christopher Norton.
Construction on Four Seasons Resort Dubai, located at Jumeirah Beach, is on schedule and making strong headway with main structural works completed on the five-storey property and interior installations due to commence. With 237 rooms, including 49 suites, and a prime beach-front location with convenient access to the main commercial district on Sheikh Zayed Road, the resort will target an almost equal mix of leisure and business guests. The Resort will be home to multiple restaurants, and poolside dining. The function spaces which have beachfront access will include a 600 sq m ballroom and five meeting rooms. The Resort will also be home to a world class spa, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts and private beach club.
Norton confirmed that the development pipeline for Four Seasons in other key Middle East and North African cities was also forging ahead, further solidifying the company’s presence in the Mena region.
Properties currently under construction include Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay (due to open mid 2014) and Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca (due to open mid 2014). While active projects in the preliminary stages include Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island, Four Seasons Resort Oman, Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait City and Four Seasons Hotel Jeddah.
“The Middle East is one of our most active regions in terms of development, and having properties in almost every capital city in the GCC within the next few years will serve to further consolidate our presence in the market. Our firm commitment to the region also goes beyond a robust development pipeline to include continuous investment in the physical product and service innovation at our existing Middle East properties.
“Several hotels have recently engaged in renovations covering rooms, suites and entire floors, as seen at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, as well as newly conceptualised restaurant offerings such as Nusantao at Four Seasons Hotel Doha, 8 at Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, The Roof – an exciting rooftop bar and terrace at Four Seasons Hotel Beirut, and Aura at Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at The First Residence,” said Norton.
Beyond the company’s plans in the Middle East, Norton also highlighted several other exciting new Four Seasons openings on the cards in the months ahead. Leading the way is the new Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St Petersburg, Russia due to open in summer this year and a landmark property in 2014 - Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort. Other key openings including the Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen in China (due to open in Q3 2013); Four Seasons Hotel Moscow (due to open in 2014), the recently announced Four Seasons Hotel Madrid which will be part of the Canalejas Project in the Spanish capital, and Four Seasons Hotel Sao Paolo in Brazil which will be part of the Parque de Cidade Complex.