Dubai is known for taking hospitality to excess: the world’s tallest hotel, rooms costing $24,000 a night, replicas of Arabian and Russian palaces. But developers in the emirate are turning their attention to travellers on more modest budgets in an attempt to lure the growing middle classes of China and Africa to shop, trade and take holidays.
“We are expecting an increase in that market, a need for more three- and four-star hotels and resorts,” says Ali Rashid Lootah, chairman of Nakheel, a state-owned property company. “Our focus now is on the more affordable bracket,” he adds.
His company opened the first of 10 planned hotels and resorts in February, a three-star Ibis Styles hotel linked to Dragon Mart — a shopping and wholesale centre which claims to be the largest Chinese trading hub outside China. Dragon Mart has proved so popular that it was extended last year to more than double its space, and Mr Lootah plans another hotel there.
