Sharjah's most astonishing new resort attracts worldwide acclaim (United Arab Emirates)
A year after Al Bait Sharjah opened in the U.A.E. as an antidote to the towering hospitality ambitions of nearby Dubai, the resort has won acclaim as one of the most remarkable new hotels in the world. |
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Sharjah's most astonishing new resort attracts worldwide acclaim (United Arab Emirates)
A year after Al Bait Sharjah opened in the U.A.E. as an antidote to the towering hospitality ambitions of nearby Dubai, the resort has won acclaim as one of the most remarkable new hotels in the world. |
Category: Middle East - United Arab Emirates - Exclusive experiences
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This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2020-03-06
Filed by Balcony Media Group
Travel + Leisure magazine on Feb. 20 named the resort to its 2020 IT List, its 15th annual compendium of the best and brightest new hotels in the world. In all, 72 new properties in 32 countries qualified for inclusion on the list after a rigorous evaluation of hundreds of new hotels across the globe by the magazine’s editors and its global network of expert travel writers and agents.
Only one other hotel in the Middle East made this year’s IT List, and just three other hotels from the region have won placement on T+L’s list over the past five years.
About the designation, Travel + Leisure notes Sharjah’s artsy appeal and writes that Al Bait’s “rooms are like exhibits themselves… you’ll feel at home but you’ll live like royalty.”
“We’re especially gratified that Travel + Leisure realised exactly the experience we’d been steering for with Al Bait, which means home in Arabic,” said GHM Chief Executive Officer Tommy Lai. “That the resort is a place that feels like home, albeit a home for royalty.”
Landing a place on the IT List is widely regarded as one of the two most important new hotel accolades to be had in the hospitality industry and is so highly esteemed that media outlets from Bloomberg to Yahoo cover the announcement as a major hospitality news event.
In the wake of the Travel + Leisure news, the resort’s operator, GHM, is moving the property under the umbrella of one of the most storied brand names in Asian-inspired hospitality — The Chedi. The resort will now be known as The Chedi Al Bait, Sharjah, UAE, developed by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and managed by GHM.
The Chedi name dates to GHM’s founding in 1992 and was first deployed for hotels on Phuket in Thailand and at Bandung in Indonesia. Sanskrit in origin, the Chedi name references realms of peace and tranquility and has served as GHM’s most significant brand.
“In the very DNA of the Chedi brand, there are strands of Asian-inspired design wound about a core of local indigenous tradition,” said GHM President and Co-Founder Hans R. Jenni. “In Sharjah, we’ve celebrated local aesthetics and heritage by founding the resort on four homes once occupied by prominent Sharjah families, including the residence of Ibrahim Bin Mohammed Al Midfa with its magnificent barjeel (wind tower).”
The resort’s overall design pays homage to these original four homes, and a purpose-built museum on property tells the Al Midfa story in two generous galleries.
With its embrace of such heritage, with the recognition conferred by the Travel + Leisure award, and with the power of the Chedi brand, Jenni said the resort is poised to cultivate another level of luxurious appeal.
Elsewhere, GHM now flies the Chedi flag at The Chedi Andermatt in Switzerland, The Chedi Luštica Bay in Montenegro and The Chedi Muscat in Oman.
ABOUT THE CHEDI AL BAIT, SHARJAH, UAE Launched in December 2018 as Al Bait Sharjah, The Chedi Al Bait, Sharjah, UAE is managed by GHM (General Hotel Management Ltd). The property is located 17 kilometres from Dubai International Airport in the UAE’s most ambitious historical restoration project known as Heart of Sharjah. The Emirati luxury resort comprises of a collection of historic manor houses with 53 guestrooms and suites, and delivers bespoke services where beauty, unparalleled hospitality and a sense of home become inseparable. The architecture and design sensitively reflects Arabic culture and blends harmoniously with the heritage buildings in the district.
ABOUT SHUROOQ Shurooq is an independent government entity under the Emiri decree no. 2, that facilitates partnerships and connects investors with relevant opportunities. Shurooq aims to create authentic destinations that are committed to enhancing the quality of life for citizens and residents, as well as foster an environment where businesses thrive and ideas flourish. Shurooq strives to encourage investment in Sharjah by adopting the best international standards in providing quality services that help attract investors from both the region and the world.
For more information, please visit www.shurooq.gov.ae
ABOUT GHM Established in 1992, GHM (General Hotel Management Ltd.) is known for conceptualising, developing and operating an exclusive group of hotels and resorts. With an intimate portfolio and more projects in the pipeline, GHM prides itself in providing guests with an unrivalled lifestyle experience.
Each GHM property is an original. A symbiotic relationship between the hotel and the local culture enables GHM to provide guests with a genuine, close-up experience of the best each destination has to offer. The signature GHM style melds contemporary interpretations of Asian designs and distinctive local touches to create inspired, memorable spaces.
GHM’s portfolio includes:
The Chedi Al Bait, Sharjah, UAE
The Chedi Muscat, Oman
The Chedi Andermatt, Switzerland
The Chedi Luštica Bay, Montenegro
GHM properties currently under development:
The Chedi Kudavillingili, Maldives
The Chedi Mumbai, India
The Chedi Khorfakkan, Sharjah, UAE
The Chedi Zhudong, Hsinchu, Taiwan
The Chedi Club Zhudong, Hsinchu, Taiwan
The Chedi Residences Zhudong, Hsinchu, Taiwan
In addition to these, GHM has joined with like-minded partners and entered into meaningful collaborations to deliver innovative brands, continuing its legacy of setting new benchmarks of excellence in the hospitality industry.
Ahn LuhAhn Luh is a joint venture partnership forged among Duan Qiang, the first Chairman of Beijing Tourism Group (1998-2019), the present president of China Tourism Association and chairman of the Union of World tourism, Adrian Zecha, the visionary behind Amanresorts, along with Hans R. Jenni, President and Director of GHM.
It is a brand that combines the essence of Old World Chinese hospitality in today’s context of contemporary elegance, reflecting in its service, architectural design and interior décor, how tradition and modernity can intertwine to present an original, urban resort concept.
The Ahn Luh portfolio includes: - Ahn Luh Zhujiajiao, Shanghai
- Ahn Luh Lanting, Shaoxing
- Ahn Luh Qiandao Lake, Hangzhou
- Ahn Luh Nanjing, Jiangsu (2021)
- Ahn Luh Zhuhai, Guangdong (2022)
Tin HotelsTIN Hotels is the new artisanal brand by GHM focusing on lifestyle experiences. By pushing the boundaries of what a new generation of hotels can be to a global traveller, our goal is to provide guests with social spaces that deliver unrivalled communal experiences, great style and wholesome nutrition at a more accessible price point without compromising the standards that our world-class luxury brands are known for.
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