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Satyendra Pathak
Doha
Five-star hotel chain Shaza Hotels, owned primarily by Barwa Real Estate Company, announced on Tuesday it will expand its portfolio from one hotel in Saudi Arabia's Madinah currently to 30 spread along the Silk Route from Morocco to Malaysia.
Addressing mediapersons, Shaza's executive Vice-President Sanjiv Malhotra said out of the 30 hotels at least three will be in Doha. He said that four new hotels under the banner of Shaza Hotels including Shaza Doha will be operational next year.
Located near the iconic Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), the 171-room Shaza Doha will open in the third quarter of 2017, Malhotra said adding that the company is eying West Bay, The Pearl-Qatar and Lusail for new locations.
"Our aim is to complete all hotels in Doha before the start of 2022 Fifa World Cup," Malhotra said.
"Next year will also see the opening of Shaza Makkah, Shaza Salalah and Shaza Al Mouj in Muscat," he said.
The company plans to open at least three hotels each year between now and 2020, and has management agreements with 30 hotels signed in total.
While as many as 20 Shaza brand of hotels will be operational by 2020, Malhotra said, the completion dates for the rest of the 10 hotels will be announced later.
Of the 20 hotels, six will be under Shaza's recently launched four-star brand 'Mysk by Shaza', he said.
Malhotra said that 22 hotels will be located in MENA region and the remaining eight will be in rest of the world.
Work is currently going on at 13 locations with 2,417 rooms under construction, he said, adding that on an average each five-star hotel will cost around $250 million excluding the land price to investors.
A Sharia-compliant luxury hotel brand born out of the Middle Eastern civilisation, Shaza Hotels was established in 2006 as a joint venture between Barwa Real Estate Company and Kempinski Hotels.
It would be Shaza's second attempt at entering the hospitality sector as earlier plans were scrapped due to the financial crisis following the fall of Lehman Brothers in 2008, Malhotra said.
Expressing hope that Shaza Hotels will catch the fancy of Arabs, Malhotra said,"Shaza is the first international five-star luxury hotel brand to draw its inspiration and character entirely from the Middle East, North Africa, and the former Ottoman regions.
"We abide by Islamic principles and will provide true Arabic hospitality."
