Hot on the heels of its 15th brand anniversary, Anantara and its recently rebranded umbrella brand – Minor Hotels – have a lot to be proud of.
The Tivoli Hotels & Resorts brand, with 14 properties across Portugal and Brazil, has been recently acquired by Minor Hotels for about $340 million. The Tivoli acquisition was the latest in a series of international investments by Minor Hotels, which over the last two years has seen investment of over $550 million in hotel projects in Southern and East Africa, Asia, Australia, South America and Europe.
TTN spoke to Michael Marshall, who heads the sales, marketing and revenue & distribution of Minor Hotels as its chief commercial officer. 'We have started investing in the Tivoli brand, the properties needed some upgrading and now we are looking at growing the brand. We’re hoping to make some new announcements later this year, hopefully in the Middle East.'
Minor Hotels has recently announced the addition of a new Anantara each in Ras Al Khaimah and Dubai Culture Village, and a 500-key Avani in Nakheel’s Deira Islands in Dubai. Anantara Jebel Dhanna and Avani Jebel Dhanna in Abu Dhabi will soon begin development and both are scheduled to open in 2018. The properties lie along the coastal area of the Al Gharbia region in Abu Dhabi, close to the ferry departure point for Sir Bani Yas Island.
In Oman, the 115-key Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort will open its doors in the third quarter this year, becoming the highest resort in the Middle East at 2,000 metres above sea level. The 136-key Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara is also set to open in the third quarter during the busy summer or Khareef season.
Minor Hotels announced their first property in Bahrain: slated to open in 2019, Anantara Durrat Al Bahrain Resort will offer a total of 220 keys.
Marshall teases us with the possibility of an Anantara in Saudi Arabia – it remains to be seen if it would be the usual choice of Jeddah, Riyadh or Dammam, or if they plan to turn a lesser-known part of the country into a mini-destination with a fabulous resort.