The Dorchester Dubai? Luxury hotel brand sets sights on the Middle East

The Dorchester Collection is famed the world over for its European ‘grande dames’, with a portfolio of luxury hotels that includes the Plaza Athénée in Paris, Hotel Eden in Rome and, of course, The Dorchester on London’s Park Lane.

But now the group appears to have set its sights on fresh pastures with the announcement of a contemporary five-star hotel in Dubai, set to become the first Dorchester hotel in the Middle East.

The gleaming steel and glass tower, by far and away the Dorchester Collection’s most aesthetically modern hotel, is currently under construction on the banks of the Dubai Canal, in an area of the city’s Downtown district known as Business Bay where it will count such Emirati landmarks as the Burj Khalifa and the Mall of the Emirates as neighbours.

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Details surrounding the hotel  are still scant, although a number of images released at a gala event earlier this month revealed some features we can expect to see, including a rooftop restaurant, an open-air swimming pool and a fitness centre.

Striking works of art will adorn the public spaces (one rendering hints at a cascading, crystalline chandelier in the driveway), while floor-to-ceiling windows will afford views over Business Bay and the Marasi Marina.

The name of the hotel has not yet been finalised, and an opening date is also still to be announced.

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While the Dorchester Collection will manage the hotel upon completion, the project is currently being carried out by Omniyat, the high-end development company that’s also behind Langham Place, Downtown Dubai – another partnership with one of London’s premier hotels.

Another of the Omniyat’s developments, One Palm, a collection of private residences situated on the exclusive Palm Jumeirah, will also fall under the Dorchester’s hospitality brand.

Mahdi Amjad, CEO and executive chairman of Omniyat, said: “We want to fuel unforgettable experiences through our projects and we couldn’t have found a more suitable partner than Dorchester Collection.”