The new hotel group was created by a group of investors in Dubai, making its first and likely flagship location no surprise, and right at home among the city’s eclectic and expensive hotel options.
The rulers of these tiny nation-states have realized the geopolitical advantage of being located where they are, and used the airlines as a proxy to extend their power.
Dubai has been consistently attractive to hotel investments, but Saudi Arabia is the hot destination on the market as wealth, tourism, and business deals flood to the kingdom in the wake of Arab Spring.
The quick redesign cycle speaks to the high stakes involved in operating properties in the emirates and the region: If you don't look new, you're just too old.
Dubai definitely has the transportation network and the hotels that would make this easy, but competing in medical tourism includes competing on price, which is something Dubai will need to get used to.
Many U.S. cities build conference spaces in what become failed bids to lure events, but Dubai has the rooms, the air connections, and the mojo once again that building more space makes sense.
Investors already bullish on real estate growth in Dubai are jumping to invest, especially in projects like the newly announced luxury hotels headed by Emaar, the developer of the world’s tallest tower. Will things end differently this time around?
Despite all the odds and lots of logic, the palm-shaped development in the sea has survived the economic downturn and Dubai's financial challenge and continued to be a destination for high-end resorts and real estate.