Jumeirah boosts Chinese portfolio to 8 hotels

Jumeirah Group, the global luxury hotel company, will operate three more hotels and resorts across China, taking its total portfolio in the mainland to eight properties.
The luxury hotel operator, a member of Dubai Holding, has signed management agreements to run The Jumeirah Haikou Resort, the Jumeirah Wuhan, and Jumeirah Nanjing.
Gerald Lawless, President and CEO of Jumeirah Group, said the group is expanding its portfolio of hotels and resorts in China, which is a significant market for Jumeirah. The new three hotels take the group's pipeline of new properties in China to eight, in addition to Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel in Shanghai, which has been operating successfully since 2011.
Jumeirah currently operates 22 hotels, resorts and residences, including 11 in the Middle East, six in Europe and five in Asia. A further 17 hotels are now under development. In the U.A.E., the group's premium luxury properties include Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Madinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray and Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi.
The Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel Shanghai opened in 2011 as Jumeirah's first hotel on the Chinese mainland. With the addition of Haikou, Wuhan and Nanjing, Jumeirah now has a pipeline of eight properties in China including hotel developments in Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Sanya, Macau and Qiandaohu.
The Jumeirah Haikou Resort is set within an exclusive golf community on a 136 hectare private island and is expected to open in 2018. Haikou is the capital city of Hainan and the main business centre. Known as the ‘Hawaii of China' Hainan is the only non-industrialised province and only tropical island resort destination in the country. The mixed-use development will comprise a golf course designed by Tom Doak, 60 luxury residential villas and a luxury hotel comprising 140 guest rooms including 26 suites. Food and beverage outlets will feature an all-day dining and Chinese specialty restaurant, lobby lounge, bar, function space, recreational facilities such as a premier leisure club lounge, kids' club, fitness centre and Talise Spa. Denniston International has been appointed as the project architect.
Jumeirah Wuhan is set in a prime city centre location near to the existing Hankou business district. The project is a mixed-use development which comprises high-end office space, retail, residences, parks and a luxury hotel. Site preparation work is on-going and the anticipated opening date is 2020.
The property, designed by Foster and Partners, will feature 200 guest rooms including 23 suites, an all-day dining and Chinese specialty restaurant, lobby lounge, bar, function space, executive club lounge and business centre. Recreational facilities will comprise a fitness centre, Talise Spa and indoor swimming pool.
Both properties in Wuhan and Haikou are owned by subsidiaries of Yuexiu Group, a Guangzhou-based property development company. The third property Jumeirah Nanjing is currently under development and expected to open in 2016. Located approximately 40 minutes' drive from the airport and a one-hour train ride from Shanghai, Jumeirah Nanjing is set in the Hexi new business district and in close proximity to office buildings and a conference centre. The mixed-use development will comprise office and retail space, a conference centre, a 4-star hotel and a luxury Jumeirah hotel.
The 250-room hotel will include 32 suites, an all-day dining and Chinese specialty restaurant, café, lobby lounge, tea lounge, bar, junior ballroom, executive club lounge, business centre, fitness centre, Talise Spa and an indoor swimming pool.