Dubai-based group Fundamental Hospitality has said it will invest $200 million in a global expansion programme in 2026, including its first move into luxury hotels and branded residences, as it scales up international demand for its “Made in Dubai” dining and lifestyle brands.
The expansion, the company’s largest to date, follows a $140 million investment launched in 2023 and comes as Gulf-born hospitality groups increasingly export high-end dining and beach lifestyle concepts to the United States, Europe and the wider Middle East.
Fundamental Hospitality said the 2026 programme will see its flagship brands GAIA and La Maison Ani double in size, alongside new international openings for other home-grown concepts, while also marking the group’s entry into integrated hospitality and living developments.
“Our ambitious expansion plans for 2023 have not only been realized, but they have also exceeded every expectation,” said the group’s chariman and founder, Evgeny Kuzin. “Fundamental Hospitality has evolved into a truly global luxury lifestyle group, driven by a loyal international customer base that was first established with our Dubai clientele and our ‘Made in Dubai’ concepts.”
Kuzin said Dubai’s emergence as a global dining hub has underpinned the group’s international growth.
Fundamental Hospitality in Dubai
“Dubai is now widely recognised as the world’s leading luxury dining destination, and our success in this market has been fundamental to shaping our global trajectory,” he said.
A central pillar of the expansion is GAIA, one of Dubai’s best-known dining exports, which the group said will more than double its global footprint in 2026. New openings are planned across the United States, Europe, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Alongside GAIA, Fundamental Hospitality continues to expand brands including La Maison Ani and Shanghai Me, while launching a new generation of Dubai-born concepts internationally, such as Sirene by GAIA, INA, Maison de la Plage, KIGO and Adaline.
The company will also strengthen its presence in Dubai, where it plans to open new venues at J1 Beach alongside Sirene by GAIA and INA. Sirene by GAIA has become a major growth driver for the group and is now regarded by the company as the world’s most successful beachside lifestyle concept.
Fundamental Hospitality said its venues welcomed more than 5 million guests globally in 2025 and forecast visitor numbers to exceed 10 million by the end of 2026, reflecting rising global demand for experiential luxury dining concepts originating from the Gulf.
“At home, we continue to reinforce our position at the iconic J1 Beach in Dubai, an address that reflects our creative energy and ambition,” Kuzin said. “We remain steadfast on our path toward our ultimate vision: to become the world’s most influential luxury lifestyle group, setting new benchmarks in hospitality, lifestyle and dining worldwide.”
The group’s expansion has been fuelled by Dubai’s tourism boom and the rapid development of its luxury hospitality sector over the past decade, transforming the city from a market without home-grown luxury dining brands into a major exporter of premium hospitality concepts.
Founded in 2011, Fundamental Hospitality owns and operates a portfolio of dining and lifestyle brands across the Middle East and Europe, with further expansion planned in the GCC, Europe, the UK and the United States.
Follow us on
