Emaar Launches New Hotel Brand

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Dubai-based Emaar Hospitality Group has announced plans to develop a new brand targeting young professionals and leisure travelers.

Vida Hotels and Resorts will focus on "simplicity and youthful vitality, creating a stimulating environment for the younger business and leisure tourist who demands all the frills of modern luxury travel but none of the fuss," according to a release from Emaar, the subsidiary of Dubai-based Emaar Properties PJSC, the developer of the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa.

Meaning "Life" in Spanish, Vida is the second hospitality brand for Emaar and will be used to expand the company's presence in key global markets.

The first property to open will be Vida Downtown Dubai, formerly the Qamardeen hotel, in the center of Emaar's master-planned downtown Dubai community. It will offer 156 rooms and "services and an ambience designed to appeal to the younger generation," including iPad check-ins and continuous Wi-Fi service.

"The profile of today's global traveler is changing, with a more youthful, upwardly mobile audience now seeking a distinct hospitality experience to suit their needs," chairman of Emaar Properties Mohamed Alabbar said in the release. "Vida will add life to the hotel stays of this increasingly important tourist community, delivering an intimate touch but also the freedom they expect."  
 
More than one third of travelers are aged 15-34 and two-thirds of the Middle Eastern population is under the age of 30, according to the 2012/2013 ITB World Travel Trends Report. Dubai is considered a hub for more than two billion people below the age of 25 across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. 
 
The new Dubai hotel will also take over operations and management of the nearby Al Manzil Hotel, according to the release.  

Emaar previously announced that its hospitality and leisure branches contributed $114 million to the company's revenue in the first quarter of 2013, 20 percent of the company's total revenues, according to AME Info.  

The company's first hospitality brand, The Address Hotels & Resorts, had an occupancy rate of 91 percent during the same quarter, AME reported.