IHG Hotels & Resorts has entered into a management agreement with API Hotels & Resorts for the inaugural launch of a Kimpton brand hotel in the UAE.
The opening of Kimpton Dubai is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026, signifying the brand’s introduction to the emirate and furthering IHG’s expansion within the Middle East.
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The introduction of this brand to the UAE is indicative of an increasing appetite for boutique and experiential hospitality offerings within the realm of luxury accommodations in the Middle East, notes IHG.
Kimpton Dubai will be situated in the Business Bay Canal, close to landmarks like the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall.
API Hotels & Resorts spokesperson said: “Our continued partnership with IHG reflects our shared commitment to bringing global luxury experiences to the region.
“The introduction of Kimpton to Dubai will offer a distinct alternative in the city’s hospitality landscape – one that blends elevated lifestyle elements with a boutique soul.”
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By GlobalDataThe upcoming property will feature 280 guest rooms, encompassing both standard rooms and suites.
The hotel is designed to cater to a variety of guests, offering three distinctive dining experiences and seven versatile meeting spaces, encompassing a ballroom.
For leisure and relaxation, the hotel will provide a rooftop swimming pool, a spa, a fitness centre, retail outlets, and parking facilities.
This development marks the second venture between IHG and API Hotels & Resorts, following the successful InterContinental Residences Dubai Business Bay launch, in September 2024.
Currently, IHG operates over 122 hotels with approximately 44,000 rooms distributed across nine countries in the region.
IHG Hotels & Resorts India, Middle East & Africa managing director Haitham Mattar said: “The Kimpton brand continues to redefine luxury lifestyle hospitality, leading the way with individually designed boutique hotels and restaurants that focus on self-expression, world-class design, and genuinely warm service.
“Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants represent the avant-garde of luxury lifestyle hospitality. These properties are thoughtfully designed to inspire connection and creativity, often in collaboration with local talent – from artists and musicians to chefs and designers. We’re excited to bring that same energy and spirit to Dubai.”
IHG’s Middle Eastern operations feature nine of its core brands.
The luxury and lifestyle collections include Six Senses, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Vignette Collection, and Hotel Indigo; the premium collections boast Crowne Plaza and voco; the essentials collections are represented by Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express; and Staybridge Suites rounds out the suites collection.
In addition to the Kimpton Dubai announcement, IHG further solidified its regional influence in November 2023 by signing a franchise agreement for the second Vignette Collection hotel in Dubai, in collaboration with The Heart of Europe.
