Hard Rock International has signed a deal with the Tasameem Group to develop the 350-room Hard Rock Hotel Dubai.
The hotel will be part of a 91-storey ‘Hard Rock Centre’ comprising 100 serviced apartments, commercial offices and retail outlets to be built in the Dubai Trade Centre district.
Hard Rock Hotels Worldwide chief hotels officer Trevor Horwell said the company was looking to build on the success of properties already launched in Las Vegas and Orlando in the United States.
“Because we are doing so well and we are so well known in the US, we wanted to do something internationally, but the key to doing that is getting the prototypes up in places like Australia, Asia, and Dubai – which is the best location in the Middle East to launch a brand,” he said.
“Dubai is going to be that type of destination. First of all the design is iconic, it is going to be in a world-class location, and the developers and owners of the building are world-class developers.”
Hard Rock’s plans for the region are not limited to Dubai, Horwell added.
“We think we could be in at least six to eight markets [across the Middle East],” he said.
“Abu Dhabi we could definitely go into; we are looking at Qatar, Egypt, Morocco. These types of destinations we are closely looking at.
“We like to work with parties who understand the brand. This is our first partnership with Tasameem Group, and they get what we are trying to do, and that is half the battle.”
Horwell said the hotels attracted a business split of 35% business, 35% groups and incentives and the remainder as leisure.
“We position against W [by Starwood], Morgans Hotel Group, Ritz Carlton, and Hyatt,” he explained.
“The rooms are very much practical and comfortable – they have the Hard Rock touches which is basically a great sound system – but it is geared towards predominantly business men, leisure visitors and groups.
“We are, in Dubai terms, a five-star hotel company, but in the US we are rated four-diamond luxury. Our occupancy in Orlando is 86%, and our average room rate is $260 – that is the top rate in the market.
“A lot of people say to me we are a café with rooms, but we are not a café with rooms. We have a different positioning.”
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