THE UAE’S FIRST MONDRIAN PROPERTY WILL DEBUT IN ABU DHABI

ENNISMORE HAS confirmed that it will be bringing its Mondrian hospitality brand to the UAE. Construction has already begun on Mondrian Abu Dhabi which is scheduled to open in 2024. The property will feature 221 rooms and an additional 80 serviced apartments, as well as six restaurants and bars and a lagoon. Developed in partnership with the Al Hazoom Group, the hotel once open will join seven other operational Mondrian properties worldwide in locations such as Los Angeles, Miami, New York, London, Doha, Mexico City and Seoul. Other locations worldwide where Mondrian properties have been announced include Singapore, Ibiza, Bordeaux, Cannes, and Australia’s Gold Coast, among others.

Ennismore signs rst standalone branded residences project in Dubai

IN MARCH, Ennismore signed its first standalone branded residences project in Dubai. It reached an agreement with real estate developer Roya Lifestyle Development to build SLS Residences The Palm Dubai. Scheduled to open in 2026, it will be housed in a newly built low-rise development, o ering approximately 113 luxurious branded residences comprising two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments. The property’s ground floor will have 13 flagship residences (two-four bedrooms), each with its own private garden. Ennismore added that SLS Residences The Palm Dubai would be undertaking “collaborations with leading developers, architects, designers, and chefs” to replicate the experience from its SLS hotels.

All GCC residents can now apply online for Saudi tourism visas

SAUDI ARABIA’S Ministry of Tourism said last month that residents of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries can now apply online for tourism visit visas. e ve other GCC countries, apart from Saudi Arabia, are UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman. erefore all expats with valid residency documents for any of these countries can now apply for Saudi’s visit visas online. e visa will be applicable for tourist purposes as well as to perform Umrah in the kingdom. Further amendments have also been made to the conditions under which these visas are granted – the eligibility restrictions based on an individual’s profession that were previously in place have now been dropped.

93.5 million

SAR185 billion

US$550 billion

Qatar Airways Becomes Official Airline Of Formula 1

QATAR AIRWAYS has become the Global Partner and O icial Airline of Formula 1 in a five-year deal that will see it retain that position through to the 2027 season. In addition, the airline will also be the Title Sponsor of three Grands Prix that will be held this year: Qatar Airways Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (May 19-21), Qatar Airways Hungarian Grand Prix (July 21-23), and Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix (October 6-8). Overall, this season, Formula 1 will have 23 races across 21 countries and five continents.

Jumeirah partners with F1’s Williams Racing

DUBAI-HEADQUARTERED Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts has partnered with F1 team Williams Racing. Jumeirah said that the latest partnership with Williams Racing will o er its guests “curated events at Grand Prix locations around the world.” Jumeirah Group, a member of Dubai Holding, operates a portfolio of over 6,500 keys across 26 luxury properties in the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

1 IHG’s Regent brand to return to California Regent Hotels and Resorts will return to the Americas later this year with a beachfront property in California. The Regent Santa Monica Beach will include a restaurant with an as-yetunnamed celebrity chef. IHG Hotels and Resorts acquired the Regent brand in 2018.

2 JetBlue to launch NYCParis service

JetBlue will commence its transatlantic route to Paris CDG on June 29. The daily service will be operated using an A321 LR aircraft fitted with 24 Mint Suites and 114 seats in economy. Flights will depart JFK at 5.09pm, arriving into Paris CDG’s Terminal 2B at 6.55am the following day.

Six Senses has opened its first property in Italy in the country’s capital. The 96-room hotel is housed within the renovated 18th-century Palazzo Salviati Cesi Mellini on Piazza di San Marcello. Many original architectural elements, including 600-year-old columns in the main entrance, have been restored.

Egyptair became the first African carrier to operate the A321 neo aircraft, recently taking delivery of it from the Airbus Delivery Centre in Hamburg. It is on lease from AerCap. Egyptair’s Airbus fleet comprises of 12 A220s, eight A320 neos, two A320 ceos, four A330200 and four A330-300s.

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest network operating carrier in Africa, will start direct flights to Karachi in Pakistan from May 1. The airline will deploy its Boeing 737 Max aircraft for the four weekly flights which will o er passengers both economy and business class cabins.

Minor Hotels’ Avani brand has made its debut in the Maldives. Avani+Fares Maldives Resort is a 176-key property, and represents Minor’s sixth opening in the country. The resort features a range of accommodation options from Beach Studios to Four Bedroom Beach Pavillions.

Vietnam Airlines has begun operating daily flights between Vietnam and India. It includes four weekly flights on the Hanoi–Delhi sector every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and three weekly flights every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday on the Ho Chi Minh City–Delhi route.

Accor’s Pullman brand has debuted in Singapore with a property located at 270 Orchard Road. Located close to Orchard and Somerset MRT stations, Pullman Singapore Orchard is a rebranded property and now features 326 rooms and suites in nine configurations. Accor operates 29 properties in Singapore.

The Ritz-Carlton will open in Fukuoka this June. The first luxury hotel from Marriott in Japan’s southern Kyushu region, the 167-room hotel will be located in the Fukuoka Daimyo Garden City complex. This will be the sixth Ritz-Carlton branded property in the Asian country.

10 Qantas reveals design of A350’s premium cabins Qantas has unveiled the design of its prototype premium cabins on its A350 aircraft which will be a part of its Project Sunrise. The business class seats convert into two-metre beds, while the First suites feature a separate recliner chair, wardrobe, dining table for two, and a 32-inch TV screen.