India’s Lemon Tree to open first Dubai hotel

Indian mid-range hotel chain Lemon Tree said on Tuesday it would open its first property in Dubai.

The hotel, located on Al Wasl Road, will features 114 rooms and suites, an international restaurant, café, conference room, swimming pool and gym and fitness centre.

The deal was signed by Lemon Trees’ management subsidiary Carnation Hotels with property owner Al Waleed Real Estate.

“This is our first hotel in the UAE, and we feel that it holds immense business potential. We have a locational advantage, with the hotel strategically situated in proximity to famous destinations like Burj Al Arab, Kite beach and the Mall of Emirates, and equidistant from Business Bay and JLT, the two major business districts of Dubai,” said Lemon Tree Hotels deputy managing director Rattan Keswani.

Australian real estate franchise group Raine & Horne Dubai was appointed GCC representative of Carnation Hotels in 2016 and will assist with the opening, which is due to take place in the third quarter of 2019.

“There was a need for a mid-scale hotel of this calibre in this location, and we found Lemon Tree Hotels to be the best partner for the project, taking into account that India has been the largest source into Dubai, as well as the UAE as a whole, for over three years now,” said Al Waleed Real Estate CEO Mohammed Abdulrazzaq Abdul Aziz Al Mutawa.

Once known for its largely luxury accommodation options, Dubai is welcoming more mid-range hotel brands as it seeks to cater to a broader group of visitors.

Read: Dubai’s Nakheel selects Ibis brand for JVC hotel

Dubai welcomed 0.5 per cent more overnight international visitors year-on-year in the first half of 2018 to reach 8.10 million.

The city’s hotel inventory stood at 111,317 rooms in the first half, up 7 per cent on the same period last year. Occupied rooms nights increased from 14.53 million to 14.97 million.

Read: Dubai tourist arrivals flat in the first half of 2018