AYKON City features the first AYKON Hotel — Photo by DAMAC Properties
AYKON Hotel - Lobby — Photo by DAMAC Properties
AYKON Dare — Photo by DAMAC Properties
DAMAC Maison DeVille - The Breeze — Photo by DAMAC Properties
DAMAC Maison Royale - The Distinction lobby — Photo by DAMAC Properties

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – In just two years since its inception, DAMAC Hotels & Resorts, the hospitality arm of luxury real estate developer, DAMAC Properties, has announced that the number of its keys across the GCC will reach 15,000 by 2021.

The hospitality arm includes four distinct hospitality operators – AYKON Hotels & Resorts, Maison Royale, DAMAC Maison and DAMAC Maison De Ville – each with a unique offering and experience to cater to various customer segments.

On the premium end of DAMAC Properties' hotel offering, AYKON Hotels & Resorts will cater to sophisticated and affluent guests who prefer a distinctive and luxurious hotel stay with impeccable in-room facilities and fine cuisine to indulge in and an extensive menu of premium well-being options to choose from. AYKON City was recently announced and will include the first AYKON Hotels & Resorts property, to be completed in 2021. The property is set in the new prime area of Dubai, located on Sheikh Zayed Road, and offers direct views over Dubai Canal and Safa Park.

DAMAC Maison Royale and DAMAC Maison, which have four properties open in the Burj area of Dubai, and DAMAC Maison De Ville, which has one property open in the Business Bay area of Dubai, are targeted for guests who prefer a fully serviced hotel apartment with a full kitchen and a property that does not have distractions such as big events and weddings. These types of properties have proven very popular for those who are looking for a 'home away from home' feeling of peace and quiet.

In addition, DAMAC Hotels & Resorts has devised four unique service pillars that will apply across the portfolio:

24-hour check-in, check-out and stay policy.
Free stays for children, with child-friendly facilities and entertainment.
A "no-tipping" policy, borne out of the belief that high standard services should be available to all customers without any additional "non-official" charges.

Personalised services offered to ensure that guests are provided with all their business and personal needs, such as limousine booking, their preferred food inside their suites and required set temperature prior to their arrival.

Ziad El Chaar, Managing Director of DAMAC Properties, said: "As Dubai is gearing up for global events such as Expo 2020, it is the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for the emirate to welcome a record number of visitors annually. This, coupled with the availability of new leisure destinations and the intensive efforts of the government and tourism bodies to promote the emirate as a destination to new high potential markets, we can say with confidence that the hospitality and hotel industry will continue to gather momentum and expand to keep up with the demand on quality accommodation. Dubai's occupancy rates have remained in the high-80's and will continue to do so with such events on the emirate's tourism agenda."

El Chaar added: "As part of Dubai's Tourism Vision 2020, Dubai is being showcased to a wider audience and therefore a wider range of accommodation options is required. The hospitality sector is witnessing an emergence of mid-market properties mainly due to the increasing scarcity of prime locations to build high-end hotels, as well as a growing middle class worldwide, evolving the guest profile to include younger individuals and families that may not have the disposable income that premium hotel guests once had."

"With DAMAC Properties' hospitality brands, we cater to seasoned travelers that are looking for premium hotel accommodation. Realising that one size does not fit all, our hospitality offering spans the range from high-end luxury suites with bespoke services for discerning travelers to hotel apartments with extra room and convenient kitchen facilities for travelers with families who demand luxury but are more price-conscious," El Chaar said. "Our strategy for our hospitality pillar is in line with and supportive of Dubai's goal to position the emirate as the first choice for the international leisure and business traveler, and satisfies the demand across the range of guest profiles and preferences. This approach will help us to support occupancy levels across our hotels and in the industry as a whole."

According to research firm Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL), more than 41,000 new rooms are expected to be added to Dubai's available hotel rooms by 2019, to accommodate the more than 20 million visitors annually that the Government of Dubai is aiming to achieve by 2020. With the significant boost in the number of hotel rooms and apartments that DAMAC Hotels & Resorts will manage, and properties to be managed under the DAMAC Maison brand accounting for a majority of the added rooms, it is set to become one of the largest hospitality operators in the Middle East.

About DAMAC Properties

DAMAC Properties has been at the forefront of the Middle East's luxury real estate market since 2002, delivering award-winning residential, commercial and leisure properties across the region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, the Maldives, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. The company has delivered 42,000 homes. Joining forces with some of the world's most eminent fashion and lifestyle brands, DAMAC has brought new and exciting living concepts to the market in collaborations that include a golf course by The Trump Organization, and luxury homes in association with Versace, Cavalli, Just Cavalli, de GRISOGONO, Zuhair Murad, Paramount Hotels & Resorts, Rotana and Radisson Hotel Group. With a consistent vision, and strong momentum, DAMAC Properties is building the next generation of Middle Eastern luxury living. DAMAC places a great emphasis on social responsibility. In June, DAMAC Group signed an MoU with Knowledge Fund to support the Dubai Schools project by providing scholarship funding worth AED 20 million for Emirati students' tuition fees starting in the 2022-2023 academic year. The agreement aims to help achieve the objectives of Dubai Schools, which include providing a state-of-the-art educational experience for a new generation of students to keep pace with the ever-evolving requirements of the future job market. Additionally, the Hussain Sajwani-DAMAC Foundation was part of the 'Fresh Slate' initiative in collaboration with the Dubai Police General Headquarters aimed at aiding detainees in Dubai's Punitive and Correctional Institutions who have been charged with petty offenses. HSDF has pledged Dh5 million for the 1 Billion Meals initiative launched by Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the start of Ramadan 2022, aimed at providing meals to underprivileged communities in 50 countries across the world. DAMAC also supported the vision of Sheikh Mohammed to train one million Arab coders in creating an empowered society through learning and skills development, an initiative that successfully wrapped up in May 2022. Visit us at www.damacproperties.com.

Niall McLoughlin
Senior Vice President - Corporate Communications, DAMAC.
+971 4 3731000
Damac Properties Co. LLC