Raffles plans major expansion with new hotel openings

Raffles, which is part of French hotel giant Accor, will open the 389-room Raffles the Palm Dubai on the man-made Palm Jumeirah island during the final three months of 2021.

Other openings this year include Bahrain’s Raffles Al Areen Palace, Raffles Udaipur in India, and Raffles at Galaxy Macau.

“With our pioneering spirit, we have sought out locations where we can really bring Raffles’ gracious welcome and tradition of excellence to life,” said Stephen Alden, chief executive of Raffles Hotels & Resorts. “Each new Raffles property is a destination in itself, and we are creating places where people want to be, in tune with our well-travelled guests’ contemporary lifestyles.”

This year’s new hotels will be followed in 2022 by the opening of Raffles’ first UK property, Raffles London at The OWO (Old War Office), based in a Westminster building that once served as Winston Churchill’s headquarters during the Second World War.

Raffles will also open properties next year in Boston, Doha in Qatar, and the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. A “flagship” hotel in Moscow, located next to the Kremlin, is due to make its debut in 2023.