Dusit International Promotes its Year of Expansion at ATM Dubai

Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi

Leading Asian hospitality group Dusit International continues to promote their “Year of Expansion” at this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai, held in the Emirate from 6th-9th May 2013. Currently at 17 international properties, including two serviced apartment complexes in the Middle East, the company is set to more than double its size over the next five years.

Key to this expansion is a strong focus on the Middle East. Earlier this year, Mr Thierry Douin was appointed Regional Vice President, a move that shows the company’s commitment to strengthening its presence in the region, after having begun operations there over a decade ago. Mr Douin is tasked with overseeing the company’s expansion efforts, driving operational performance and supervising the opening of new hotels from his base in the Dubai Regional Office.

Coinciding with ATM this year is the opening of Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, a contemporary hotel and convention complex aimed at the business traveller. Strategically located in the new business and government district, Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi is only 20 minutes away from the international airport and 10 minutes from ADNEC, the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

The hotel also features a wealth of unique facilities to provide the discerning traveller with the perfect city destination. There are 402 hotel rooms at the property, in addition to 132 deluxe serviced apartments for guests to enjoy. The dining outlets range from Royal Thai cuisine to contemporary bistro fare and the hotel even boasts the third largest atrium in the world. Its conference centre can host up to 2,000 guests and is complemented by an impressive glass-panelled Skydome.

Other locations in the region targeted by Dusit International for future development include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and more projects within the United Arab Emirates.

These plans are in conjunction with the company’s expansion efforts in China, where they recently signed a 10-project joint venture agreement with a local partner. Cities to be targeted by this agreement over the next five years include Shanghai, Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing and Hainan. Also in January, the company announced a new property in Khao Yai, Thailand. Scheduled to open in 2014,e hotel benefits from being adjacent to Khao Yai National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In February, the company announced its first hotel in sub-Saharan Africa, dusitD2 Nairobi, in Kenya. Located within an exclusive development complex, the hotel will bring an attractive mix of all-day dining outlets, meeting facilities, a spa and terrace bar to a neighbourhood of high-end residences, universities, government offices and embassies. The property will be supported by the Dubai Regional Office, whose responsibilities have been expanded to cover East Africa where the company hopes to develop projects in the future.

"This is a time of unprecedented growth for our company," says Dusit International Chief Operating Officer, Mr David Shackleton. "We have brought together a great team of industry professionals to bring these plans to fruition, and ATM Dubai is a fitting platform to share this news with our trade partners. We are taking the Dusit brand to new locations and are excited about our expansion plans."