Dubai-born hospitality brand Rove Hotels is ready to start expanding overseas. A joint venture between Burj Khalifa creator company Emaar and local holding firm Meraas, Rove was founded to help fill Dubai’s affordable accommodation gap.
26.10.2023 - 16:09 / skift.com / Jean-Jacques Morin / Josh Corder
Real estate magnate Mohamed Alabbar said Wednesday he is “scared” about Dubai’s snowballing luxury market because there aren’t enough resources to cater to demand.
Alabbar was asked about Dubai’s luxury market at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh this week. “I’m scared, I’m scared. No, it’s not sustainable,” the Emirati billionaire said. “Dubai is a very small town. We had about 5,000 millionaires move in. Even if the market crashes and only 2,500 millionaires move in this year, we don’t have enough space [or] enough homes for these people.”
Alabbar is one of the wealthiest men in the city. As founder of Emaar Properties, he has racked up a net worth in the ballpark of $5 billion. And he is responsible for mega-projects, such as the 826-meter-tall Burj Khalifa, the world’s biggest mall, and a hotel portfolio that includes the Armani Dubai.
But even he is fearful of the image Dubai has created for itself: A tax-free haven for the rich, full of luxury apartments and jaw-dropping hotels.
The emirate’s population is expected to grow from the current 3.5 million to 5.5 million by 2030.
According to the latest report by Henley & Partners, the majority of millionaires and high-net-worth individuals are expected to primarily move to the UAE from India. That is followed by substantial numbers from the UK and Russia.
The Henley Private Wealth Migration Report for 2023 anticipates that 4,500 millionaires will choose to relocate to the UAE during this year. In 2022, the UAE outperformed global expectations by attracting 5,200 high-net-worth individuals.
It is estimated Dubai already has approximately 67,000 millionaires.
Alabbar added that Dubai currently has a problem in the construction field because it is trying to build too much, too quickly.
“We have problems in Dubai now with execution just because the market is going 30% up each year in volume,” he said.
This frenzy extends to hotel development. By the end of this year, the city will have more than 154,000 keys on offer to travelers, according to data from Knight Frank. It is dominated by luxury: Looking at the pipeline over the next seven years, 46% of the planned 24,500 keys are within luxury properties. Another 25% is for upscale, and just 4% is for 3-star hotel rooms.
The official Dubai tourism authority has said it is trying to push for greater product diversity and affordability in the city. But developers and operators continue to push for trophy assets, which leads to rising rates.
Case in point, last year, in a third-quarter 2022 earnings call, Accor CFO Jean-Jacques Morin said: “If I do all my openings in China, it is not going to do the same thing to my bottom line, than if I do all my openings in a nice SLS in Dubai. So I want
Dubai-born hospitality brand Rove Hotels is ready to start expanding overseas. A joint venture between Burj Khalifa creator company Emaar and local holding firm Meraas, Rove was founded to help fill Dubai’s affordable accommodation gap.
On the second day of the Dubai Airshow, it got quieter than opening day. Day 1 brought more than 200 aircraft orders, and a steady stream continued to be announced. They mostly went to Boeing again.
The chief operating officer of Saudi Arabia’s new airline, Riyadh Air, doesn’t expect the carrier will become a “super-connecter” but will focus instead on “point-to-point” travel. And COO Peter Bellew told at the Dubai Airshow Tuesday that Ryadh Air will meet different needs than nearby Emirates.
Saudi Arabia’s two national carriers, Riyadh Air and Saudia have entered a partnership that will start with a codeshare agreement, but go on to include much more collaborative efforts. The pair of Kingdom carriers announced the deal at the Dubai Airshow taking place in the emirate this week.
After a large number of aircraft orders were announced on day one between Boeing and its customers, Airbus took the podium for a customer announcement on day two of the Dubai Airshow.
Caesars Palace Dubai is no more following a Monday rebranding. The luxury, non-gaming resort operated in the city since 2018, and is now Banyan Tree Dubai with Ennismore as the new manager. Many of the Caesars’ staff have taken jobs with Ennismore, but not the most senior members.
Saudi Arabia’s latest national carrier Riyadh Air has shown off its second livery at Dubai Airshow. While its first livery was a striking all-over purple design, the second is more subtle, which, according to the airline “reflects purity and the future-focused vision of Saudi Arabia.”
The 18th edition of the Dubai Airshow is expected to be massive in order announcements from regional airlines, who are all usually big spenders and mostly in the market for widebody aircraft. A mega order from Turkish Airlines or a big order for the 777X was expected to kickstart the airshow.
Dubai’s national carrier Emirates has ordered an additional 90 aircraft from Boeing in a $52 billion mega-deal the entire industry was waiting for today. Announced on day one of the Dubai Airshow, the deal brings Emirates’ total orders to 295 aircraft.
In the two years before the war in Ukraine, a private Boeing 737 linked to Russian oligarch Vladimir Yevtushenkov criss-crossed the globe, taking in the French Riviera, the Maldives and Seychelles along with world capitals and financial centres.
Dubai’s first and only Dorchester Collection hotel, called The Lana, has been delayed again. Announced in 2021 and expected to open the following year, the super-luxury city hotel has announced numerous opening date revisions since then.
The 18th Dubai Airshow is upon us, and this year’s is setting up as a contest between UAE and Saudi Arabia – which country will order more aircraft?