Marriott and Kempinski gain five key Dubai hotels from Emaar tomorrow

The Dubai hotel market will see a big shake-up tomorrow as the management of five properties, including some high profile ones, changes hands.

The changes are due to what appears to be a new strategy by Abu Dhabi National Hotels which owns a number of key properties in the UAE. These include The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi and Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach.

More relevant here, it also owns five hotels which are managed by Dubai-based group Emaar Hospitality. Emaar owns brands such as Address, Vida and Armani Hotels.

Emaar sold five hotels to Abu Dhabi National Hotels in 2018 when it hit a financial rough patch. It was stated at the time that there would be “long-term management agreements with Emaar Hospitality to operate the assets under the Address and Vida brands” but it seems that this wasn’t entirely correct.

These five Emaar-run hotels in Dubai will change brands and management on 1st January.

Marriott gains three new Dubai hotels

The most interesting switch from a HfP point of view is the three properties which are moving to Marriott brands.

These are:

• The Address Dubai Marina – becomes JW Marriott Hotel Marina (click for website)

• Vida Downtown Dubai Hotel – becomes Hotel Boulevard, Autograph Collection (click for website)

• Manzil Downtown by Vida Dubai Hotel – becomes The Heritage Hotel, Autograph Collection (click for website)

This gives Marriott a frankly crazy 57 hotels in Dubai.

Kempinski gains two new Dubai hotels

A further two properties are moving to Kempinski. Kempinski is part of the Global Hotel Alliance loyalty programme which we outlined here.

• The Address Boulevard becomes Kempinski The Boulevard Dubai (images above)

• The Address Dubai Mall becomes Kempinski Central Avenue Dubai

This isn’t the end of The Address chain. There are still six hotels carrying the brand in Dubai and a few elsewhere. However, I always saw the three above as being the flagships. In truth, there were far too many The Address hotels in a very tight geographic area around Burj Khalifa and some level of rebranding was always on the cards.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (September 2024)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)