Thai hotel owner and operator Minor Hotel Group will enter Ras Al Khaimah with a luxury waterfront Anantara property.
The 225-room Anantara Mina Al Arab Ras Al Khaimah Resort, expected to open in 2018, will feature Maldivian-style water villas. The project will include residential, hospitality and retail components. Abu Dhabi-listed RAK Properties owns mixed-use Mina Al Arab development.
Shares of RAK Properties closed at 56 fils on Tuesday, down from Dh1.02 a year ago. It reported a net profit of Dh22.69 million during the first half, down from Dh51.62 million for the same period last year.
The RAK hotel would overlook the mangroves and the area around the reserve will remain undeveloped to preserve the wilderness, according to the hotel group.
“The Middle East is a key market for Minor Hotel Group, both for outbound business to our properties worldwide, and also to further expand our footprint within the region,” said Dillip Rajakarier, the chief executive of Minor Hotel Group, in a statement.
The group, which has 10 hotels and resorts in the Middle East, has two Anantara resorts under development in Oman – in Jabal Al Akhdar and in Salalah, and a second Anantara in Dubai after Palm Jumeirah at Culture Village with 290 guest rooms. It is expected to open in 2018. Minor Hotel Group has also announced projects in Morocco and Tunisia.
On Monday, the hotel group announced a 500-key Avani hotel in Nakheel’s Deira Islands. The Avani property is expected to open in 2018.
Deira Islands will feature resorts, residences, a shopping mall, a waterfront night market and an amphitheatre.
With Avani, Nakheel has 1,250 hotel rooms in its pipeline now through joint ventures at Deira Islands.
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