Bespoke Hotels has set its sights on expansion in the Middle East and Africa with the opening of a new Dubai office.
The British hotel management group, which has over 200 boutique properties worldwide, will also put its name to a 103-room five-star resort on Dubai’s Palm Jumeira which opens next year.
The hotel is being developed as part of a joint venture with Dubai-based IFA Hotels and Resorts.
"The Bespoke Hotel and Residences Palm Jumeira will be a catalyst for growth for the Bespoke brand," said Nick Turner, who joined Bespoke Hotels as managing director international in the summer.
"We are looking at growing our core Bespoke brand and we’re also looking at a number of opportunities for our glamorous sister brand, Gotham, in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and further afield."
The group, founded in 2000, is looking to grow its Bespoke brand to around 500 properties in the next five years.
At the end of this summer, it added 70 hotels in India after signing a deal with Indian hotel group Peppermint Hotels.
"The brand works well in markets which appreciate British values and professionalism and want something more authentic, with a focus on lifestyle and on being ethical and sustainable, and with a sprinkling of British humour," said Turner.
"It made huge sense for us to export the Bespoke brand to the Indian market."
Talks are also underway for properties in the Caribbean, namely in Antigua and St Lucia.
Meanwhile, the group plans to grow its Gotham brand to around 30 properties within the same time frame.
Gotham is a ‘theatrical’ brand based on an Art Deco theme, where staff are known as ‘cast members’ and dress in a glamorous Twenties America style.
Currently there is one Gotham hotel in Manchester, which opened in April, but the group is targeting other key UK cities and international locations including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Amsterdam, Dubai, New York, and high end Mediterranean resorts such as Mykanos and Ibiza.
Turner said since around 2008 the group has been quietly growing under the radar but would be investing in marketing campaigns in 2016 to raise awareness of the brands.
It will also be looking to forge more relationships with the travel trade, particularly in the areas where it is expanding.
"2016 is a big year for us," he said.
