阿联酋迪拜喜达屋酒店集团计划年底进军摩洛哥市场并拓展美拉美业务

Chedi Hospitality is planning to enter Morocco by year-end and explore opportunities in the US and Latin America as part of more than 50 projects currently under evaluation to expand its global footprint.

The Dubai-based company will sign deals in December to operate two hotels in the port city of Essaouira on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, one of the locations where scenes of Game of Thrones was shot, Stephan Schupbach, president and group chief executive of Chedi Hospitality, told Arabian Business.

The hotels are currently under construction and will have a combined 175 rooms when completed within two years. It also has “further leads” under discussion for projects in Marrakesh and Rabat.

As part of its global expansion push, the company has 17 projects in Japan, China, Indonesia, Maldives, Zanzibar, Athens, Spain and explore “new frontiers” in locations such as the Himalayas.

“We have 17 projects on the go and currently on my table I have 54 potentials, which doesn’t mean they’re all going to happen, because we need to find the right partner,” he said on the sidelines of the Saudi Investment Forum. “It’s a combination of hotels, residences and in Africa we’re looking at a safari-like set-up with a partner who moves the tents with you.”

New launches

The luxury portable tents is a new concept that is a “work in progress” and will allow guests to move with the wildlife during safari experiences.

The company is also developing a new boutique brand, Chedi Origins, with the first two projects to be launched in the next 24 months and spanning locations including Spain, Finland and the Maldives, Mr Schupbach said.

“Chedi Origins means when we develop a site, we build only two to three per cent of the land, like in Spain where we have a vineyard but we only build 20 rooms, and your fitness [programme] is the outdoors… fresh air, good produce, good eating and healthy living.”

Among the 54 projects under study, Chedi Hospitality is looking at further growth in Egypt, where it currently operates a luxury beachfront resort in the Red Sea town of El Gouna. It is in initial meetings with a potential partner for hotels and private residences in Cairo, Alexandria and North Coast where the products blend with the local culture, he said.

“It’s important when we go to a location, that we relate our product to the local and regional culture,” he said.

Broader expansion plans

Chedi Hospitality is also setting its sights on the US, looking into major cities like New York and Miami where “you can put your flag and brand recognition”, as well as Zion National Park in Utah and the Rocky Mountain in Colorado with a focus on its signature boutique offerings.

The Middle East makes up a “big chunk” of its business but there will be a rebalance in the next five years when it sells more residential units and operates more properties in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, with an “opportunistic” approach to US growth.

“We just registered our company… we will have a team stationed in the US to build the pipeline for the United States and South America,” he said.

It is evaluating projects in the US and market entry could take between two to four years, he said. It may also potentially take over another company in the US within 12 to 24 months, he added.

Positioning itself as an “uber-luxe” boutique hotel operator, it targets wealthy guests and “aspirational” travellers seeking immersive experiences in these destinations.

The luxury hospitality group also has regional offices in Singapore and Shanghai. It currently operates seven hotels in Oman, Switzerland, Montenegro, UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The company’s portfolio includes Chedi Muscat (Oman), Chedi Andermatt (Switzerland), Chedi Al Bait (Sharjah), Chedi Katara (Qatar), Chedi El Gouna (Egypt), Chedi Luštica Bay (Montenegro) and Chedi Hegra in AlUla (Saudi Arabia).

Its pipeline of hotels extends across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Indian Ocean. Mr Schupback led the group since 2023 and the Swiss-born executive remains bullish on the company’s expansion in the Middle East with no expected delays, despite the ongoing regional conflict.

Its projects in Saudi Arabia and Oman are on time and on budget, he said.

The Chedi Wadi Safar in Diriyah on the edge of Riyadh, that will pair a hotel with Chedi Residences Wadi Safar, is set to open in the third quarter of 2027, he said.

In Oman, the Chedi Ras Al Hadd on the country’s eastern coast, will open at the end of 2027, a year ahead of time, he said. Chedi Mount Bausher, developed with Rawasi Development, will place a hotel and residences in the mountain foothills near Muscat and will be completed within four to five years, he added.

In Dubai, the Chedi Private Residences on Sheikh Zayed Road will be the first standalone Chedi Residences. A second residential address will follow in Downtown Dubai.

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