Starwood Hotels’ Aloft brand to open second hotel in the UAE
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced it has signed an agreement to open a new 172-room Aloft hotel in Al Ain, the second largest city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAE. This will be the first Starwood property to open in Al Ain and the second Aloft hotel in the UAE joining Aloft Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2009.
“I would like to thank Al Ain Club Investment Company for putting their trust in Starwood as we bring Aloft to Al Ain, furthering the brand’s footprint in the UAE,” said Michael Wale, President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, EMEA. “Due to phenomenal demand in markets worldwide, Aloft is on track to open its 100th hotel within the next year, and we see huge potential for this stylish brand to grow in the UAE and throughout the Middle East.”
Aloft Al Ain will be an integral part of the city’s spectacular 500,000m2 mixed-use development surrounding the iconic 25,000-seat Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, poised to be the most advanced sporting arena in the Middle East. The development will include office space, residential units, family entertainment, retail shops and dining.
“Our aim is to create a pioneering new entertainment and tourism destination,” commented Kareem Nagy Hassan, Chief Executive Officer, Al Ain Club Investment Company. “With the stadium as the central hub, this highly anticipated development will provide an exclusive combination of living, working and a healthy lifestyle in one location and we are thrilled to have Starwood’s Aloft Al Ain as our flagship hotel within this.”
Aloft Al Ain will feature 172 loft-like guestrooms, including two presidential suites, all featuring the brand’s signature loft-like ceilings, oversized windows, an ultra-comfortable platform bed and large walk-in showers with complimentary Bliss Spa products. The newly constructed Aloft will also offer the brand’s signature WXYZ bar, an atmospheric public space where guests can mix and mingle. Additional amenities will include the RE:Charge fitness center and RE:Fuel by Aloft, a convenient grab-n-go kiosk with an array of sweet, savoury and healthy food, snacks and drinks available 24 hours a day. For meetings and presentations, the new Aloft will offer two creative spaces equipped with the latest audiovisual technology.
“We see great opportunities to grow our Aloft portfolio in established markets across the Middle East, where there is a strong demand for stylish and leading-edge hotel brands,” said Bart Carnahan, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Development, EMEA, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “As the second largest city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi with increasing investment and growing business and leisure opportunities, Al Ain is an attractive destination for development.”
The company currently operates an Aloft hotel in Abu Dhabi and is set to open another four new Aloft hotels in the region in the next three years in Al Ain and Sharjah in the UAE, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Erbil in Iraq.
