Al Habtoor Group Founding Chairman, Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor received Christopher J. Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton at a private reception hosted at the Habtoor Palace, LXR Hotels & Resorts. The meeting comes just a few months after the Al Habtoor Group and Hilton sealed a franchise agreement for three hotels at the multi-use development: Habtoor Palace, LXR Hotels & Resorts; V Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton; and Hilton Dubai, Al Habtoor City.
Founding Chairman of Al Habtoor Group, Khalaf Al Habtoor said: “The Al Habtoor Group owns 14 unique hotels located in iconic destinations across the world. We are proud to have Hilton as a strategic and trusted partner for eight of our hotels. I am entrusting the crown jewel of our Habtoor Hospitality portfolio into the care of Mr Nassetta and his team at Hilton, and I am confident that it will be an even bigger success with our new partnership.”
Speaking at the event, Christopher J. Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton, said: “Hilton is truly delighted to have three spectacular hotels and as many brands represented in Al Habtoor City. As we continue to grow in Dubai and the broader region, we look forward to continuing to work with Khalaf Al Habtoor and his team to bring our signature hospitality to even more travelers each year.”
Nassetta was joined by the Hilton senior management team, including Simon Vincent, President EMEA; Rudi Jagersbacher, President of Middle East, Africa and Turkey; Ian Carter, President Global Development, Patrick Fitzgibbon, Senior Vice President Development, EMEA; Carlos Khneisser, Vice President, Development, MENA & Turkey; William Costley, Vice President Arabian Peninsula and Turkey, and Kamel Ajami, Vice President Saudi Arabia and Levant.
Joining the Founding Chairman, representatives from the Al Habtoor Group included Mohammed Al Habtoor Vice Chairman & CEO; Maan Halabi, Managing Director; Sanjeev Agarwala, Chief Operating Officer – Real Estate and Investments; and Sunderesh Iyer, Chief Operating Officer, Al Habtoor Investment. Also present were the newly appointed General Managers for Al Habtoor City’s Hotel Collection, Fredrik Reinisch, Complex General Manager and General Manager at the V Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton; Wael Maatouk, General Manager at the Habtoor Palace, LXR Hotels & Resorts; Charles Clark, General Manager of Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City; and David Wilson, General Manager of the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah.
The Al Habtoor Group owns eight Hilton-branded properties around the world including The Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, Hilton Beirut Habtoor Grand, Hilton Beirut Metropolitan Palace, Hilton London Wembley, and The President Abraham Lincoln, Springfield – A DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Operating under the newly launched LXR Hotels & Resorts, Curio Collection by Hilton and Hilton Hotels & Resorts brands, Al Habtoor City’s three luxury hotels are fully operated by Habtoor Hospitality, the hospitality arm of the Dubai-based conglomerate.
The three hotels at the award-winning Al Habtoor City hotel complex collectively offer nearly 1,600 guest rooms and suites, 18 restaurants and lounges, two spas, 34 banqueting and meeting spaces, including three large ballrooms.
The heart of the multi-use development features a permanent state-of-the-art, high-tech theatre housing the region’s first resident show – La Perle by Dragone. Created by world-renowned Artistic Director Franco Dragone, La Perle combines the spirit of Dubai with a 1300-seat aqua theatre to deliver an unmissable spectacle in, on, and above water. In addition, the Residence Collection at Al Habtoor City consists of three luxurious residential towers comprising deluxe apartments, lofts and simplex, duplex and VIP penthouses, ranging from 1 to 7 bedrooms.