Jumeirah Group To Relaunch VENU Hotel Brand

Dubai-based hotel operator Jumeirah Group has announced plans to relaunch its contemporary lifestyle brand VENU, a project that was stalled during the economic downturn in 2010.

The company said that it is in talks with developer Meraas to operate its first VENU hotel on Bluewaters Island development, a Dhs6 billion project that is located off the coast of Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai.

Jumeirah Group, a member of the government-owned investment conglomerate Dubai Holding, said that it is in talks with a number of developers in the Middle East, Asia and Europe for the VENU brand. It will be operated as an independent brand under the group, a statement said.

Nicholas Clayton, CEO group operations at Jumeirah Group, said: “This is a genuinely exciting innovation for Jumeirah Group. The time is right for us to launch a new contemporary lifestyle brand. Its provenance and energy comes from Dubai – and the first few VENU hotels will open here – but it is ultimately a powerful way of taking the core essence of the Dubai out into the international market.”

The VENU brand, which was initially announced in 2010, was scrapped a year later due to the economic downturn in 2009 and 2010.

Speaking at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in 2011, the group’s CEO and president Gerald Lawless said that the company was refocusing its attention to develop its luxury brand in the market and was temporarily suspending the VENU brand.

Following the revival of Dubai’s economy, Jumeirah has been on a strong expansion drive. Earlier this year, the company announced that it is investing over Dhs8 billion in 11 countries over the next three years.

The expansion will see the group’s portfolio expand by 4,300 hotel rooms over the next three years.

The hotelier is also planning to expand its Jumeirah Beach Hotel project by adding an ultra-luxury resort with 350 rooms.

The resort, scheduled to be completed by 2018, will have amenities such as a private beach, spas, health clubs, elevated tennis courts and food and beverage outlets among others.

Jumeirah Group currently manages 22 hotels in over 10 countries with plans to add 10 new hotels to its Dubai portfolio in the next few years.