1. ANALYSIS SHOPPING
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As part of its repositioning to be the hotel
of choice in Mayfair, London Marriott Hotel
Park Lane has partnered with world-re-
nowned department store, Selfridges Oxford
Street, to offer an exclusive VIP experience
for guests – a development that will prove to
be popular with the lucrative MENA market
according to general manager, London Mar-
riott Hotel Park Lane, Nicolas Kipper.
Once checked into the hotel, guests can
head to Selfridges where they can expect to
be welcomed with a complimentary glass of
champagne, tea or coffee. Guests are also
given access to the VIP area of Selfridges
fourth floor where coats and bags can be
left before shopping. In addition, interna-
tional guests benefit from the fast track ser-
vice at the Tax Refund Lounge amidst luxury
surroundings.
“We have experience in working with the
MENA region and tailor our services to make
every guest feel comfortable and at home,”
commented Kipper to TTG on the hotel's ex-
pertise with guests from the region.
“We offer halal food and appoint multi-
lingual staff, including Arabic speakers.”
Mövenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta Gate – ideally situated directly adjacent to Ibn Battuta Mall
– is providing its shopping enthusiast guests with complimentary shuttle transfers on the
weekends to both Mall of the Emirates and The Dubai Mall.
However, recent trends are suggesting that the hotel's leisure guests are not spend-
ing as much as they have done in the past. "The number of people who have access to
disposable income and those who are willing to spend money on materialistic items has
decreased over the last year or so due to the devaluation of the currencies of the major
source markets to Dubai against the dollar including Europe, China, India and Australia,"
commented director of sales and marketing, Mövenpick Hotel Ibn Battuta Gate,
Mohamed Abdo.
In response to this recent trend, the hotel is aiming to run promotions that include
shopping vouchers or discounts in order to attract more shoppers, with also a view to
further expand the current partnership with Ibn Battuta Mall.
ubai's newest shop-
ping mall, City Cen-
tre Me’aisem, has
officially opened in Inter-
national Media Production
Zone (IMPZ).
Dubai-based Majid Al
Futtaim has invested $75
million in the mall, which
covers a built-up area of
3,0194m2
and a gross leas-
able area of 23,850m2
.
Created to meet strong
demand for retail develop-
ments in the south of the
city, the new mall features
56 retail outlets, with some
new to the UAE. It also has
a Carrefour hypermarket
and entertainment facility,
Magic Planet.
Majid Al Futtaim expects
the mall to attract four
million visitors during its
first year of operations. It
is the company’s sixth City
Centre in the UAE and 12th
in the region.
Named after its location
in the Me’aisem area of
IMPZ, the mall is strategi-
cally situated in the growth
corridor of Dubai at the
intersection of Al Khail
Road and Sheikh Moham-
mad Bin Zayed Road.
City Centre Me’aisem
could see an expansion in
phases depending on its
performance and demand
for additional retail space
in the area.
AN EXCLUSIVE
PARTNERSHIP
DUBAI WELCOMES
NEW ADDITION
IN THE PIPELINE
SHOPPING PROJECTS
DOHA FESTIVAL CITY
MALL OF OMAN
NAKHEEL MALL
THE POINTE MALL
RIYADH WALK MALL
NAKHEEL MALL
MALL OF EGYPT
MALL OF THE WORLD
MALL OF QATAR
LUSAIL MARINA MALL
LOCATION: Doha, Qatar
SIZE: 433,847m2
COST: $1.65bn
EXPECTED OPENING: 2016
LOCATION: Muscat, Oman
SIZE: 157,000m2
COST: $467.5m
EXPECTED OPENING: 2017
LOCATION: Dubai, UAE
SIZE: 424,000m2
COST: $680m
EXPECTED OPENING: 2016
LOCATION: Dubai, UAE
SIZE: 130,064m2
COST: $217m
EXPECTED OPENING: 2016
LOCATION: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
SIZE: 137,000m2
COST: $320m
EXPECTED OPENING: 2016
LOCATION: Muscat, Oman
SIZE: 424,000m2
COST: $680m
EXPECTED OPENING: 2016
LOCATION: Cairo, Egypt
SIZE: 162,500m2
COST: $800m
EXPECTED OPENING: 2016
LOCATION: Dubai, UAE
SIZE: N/A
COST: $6.8bn
EXPECTED OPENING: 2018
LOCATION: Al Rayyan, Qatar
SIZE: 195,000m2
COST: $1bn
EXPECTED OPENING: 2016
LOCATION: Doha, Qatar
SIZE: 100,000m2
COST: N/A
EXPECTED OPENING: 2018
INCREASED SPENDING
ON THE CARDS
ByMarioHajiloizis