AccorHotels, world leading travel & lifestyle group, today announced the extensive conversion and rebranding of a former Sheikh Zayed Road landmark into the Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights Hotel Suites & Apartments. The property is currently undergoing the first of a two-phase comprehensive refurbishment and is anticipated to open under the Mercure brand on 19 May 2017.
One hundred and twenty hotel rooms will be renovated, as part of the first phase, to fit Mercure brand dimensions by blending classic design with a modern and contemporary aesthetic. The second phase of renovations will focus on enhancing additional guestrooms and facilities to meet AccorHotels’ international standards and will elevate the hotel from a four star ranking into five stars in the form of hotel suites. As a premium product, the apartments will be refreshed and re-introduced to the market. The renovation and refurbishment is anticipated for completion by the end of 2018. Upon opening, the 1,015 room hotel will be the largest Mercure property in AccorHotels’ global portfolio.
Olivier Granet, Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer of AccorHotels Middle East and Africa (MEA), said: “We are delighted to enter into another high-profile agreement with our existing and trusted partner to further elevate the Mercure brand within the United Arab Emirates with the largest Mercure hotel in our global network. The project presents AccorHotels with an unrivalled opportunity to further expand our portfolio at an iconic business and leisure destination while cementing our presence across the growing midmarket segment within the region.”
N.A. Aliyev, Board Director, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with AccorHotels to launch the world’s largest Mercure in Dubai. The Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights Hotel Suites & Apartments is an important hotel that we have established with the Group in the United Arab Emirates. This in many ways signifies our growing alliance and we look forward to continuing this strategic business relationship with AccorHotels in the future.”
The Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights Hotel Suites & Apartments is located on Sheikh Zayed Road, enjoying close proximity to major business and leisure attractions within the city including Dubai Media City, Mall of the Emirates, Emirates Golf Club, Knowledge Village and Dubai Internet City.
The upscale hotel and apartments will feature a mix of modern hotel suites alongside one and two bedroom apartments, as well as an all-day dining restaurant with a shisha lounge, two specialty restaurants, lobby lounge, health club, spa and swimming pool. As part of the extensive refurbishments, a new specialty restaurant will be incorporated into the hotel’s offerings. The renovated property will also cater towards corporate clientele with over 400 square meters of meeting room facilities.
The Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights Hotel Suites & Apartments joins the Mercure brand’s prominent portfolio of 23 properties currently in operation and under development in the Middle East. The Mercure brand combines the strength of an international network of over 740 hotels with the warm hospitality of properties that are deeply rooted in their local communities. Mercure properties present an authentic experience to travellers by deriving their design and décor from the local environment, and are traditionally found across city centres and alongside popular sea-facing destinations.
“Through this distinguished rebranding we aim to revitalize an iconic property within the Emirate through the exacting and quality of Mercure’s brand standards. This is reflective of AccorHotels’ commitment to expanding our presence across each market segment in order to accommodate guests’ expectations. With the Mercure Dubai Barsha Heights Hotel Suites & Apartments, we hope to further bridge this gap within the hospitality market especially as the UAE works towards its goal of attracting 20 million visitors by 2020,” concluded Granet.
AccorHotels has 38 existing properties in the UAE, in addition to 22 others under development. In the Middle East, AccorHotels currently operates 94 hotels encompassing 28,500 rooms across the luxury to economy segments. The Group’s regional network will double in number, bringing close to 26,800 additional rooms to the Middle East.
