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Dubai: Jumeirah Group, the Dubai-based luxury hotel company that manages the world famous Burj Al Arab, on Friday said it had signed five new hotels in the last two weeks, bringing the total number of new properties under development to 19.
Gerald Lawless, executive chairman of the Jumeirah Group, told Gulf News that the current economic crisis will not deter the group's growth plans to open 60 hotels by 2012.
"We have a long-term growth plan and most of the new hotels will open in two to three years time," he told Gulf News in a phone-in interview from Hong Kong where he announced the new developments at the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP).
"With these developments, we will have a balanced portfolio with a wide spread. One third of our hotels will be in Asia and we are pretty strong in the GCC and the Middle East, our home base."
This latest announcement came with the appointment of Jumeirah to manage Jumeirah Bali Resort in Indonesia, Jumeirah Maldives Resort in the South Malé Atoll, Jumeirah Al Salam Resort in Bahrain, Jumeirah Al Salam Yiti Resort in Oman, and Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel in Kuwait. The five new hotels and resorts are scheduled to open over the next three years.
This comes in addition to recent announcements of hotels in Guangzhou, Glasgow and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
"With the support of our parent company, Dubai Holding, we are well on target to achieve our objective of globalising our luxury brand, and we expect to have 60 properties either in operation or under development by 2012,” Gerald Lawless, executive chairman of the Jumeirah Group, told delegates at the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Hong Kong.
"Our discerning guests first experienced the Jumeirah 'Stay Different' promise in Dubai, then in London and New York, and we look forward to soon welcoming them to our luxury hotels around the world.” Jumeirah currently manages 11 hotels and resorts.
Jumeirah Bali Resort is being developed by PT Bali Nusa Intan. The luxurious, mixed-use development is situated on the southernmost point of the island, in the prestigious Sawangan area and will include a five star hotel and luxury villas, together totalling 225 rooms and suites.
In addition the resort will offer three restaurants and bars, a wedding chapel and a destination spa, managed by Talise Wellness, the Group's global spa and wellness brand.
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