Following a record year of deal signings in 2023, Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced major plans for scaled growth in the leisure space in the EAME region, including more than 70 properties in the pipeline across Hyatt’s various brand collections, as well as its very own waterpark.
Set to launch in early 2025, the latter will be the first fully-serviced five-star waterpark in the city centre. Located at the Grand Hyatt Dubai, the waterpark will span 20,000 sqm, featuring 15 rides, a wave pool, a dedicated area for toddlers and small children, private cabanas, and dining outlets. It will be open to both guests staying at the property as well as visitors to the city and the property, and aims to position Grand Hyatt Dubai as one of the most unique urban resorts in the world – a “destination within a destination.”
The waterpark is just one of the many new projects in Hyatt’s pipeline. Among its other new projects in the Middle East are the Andaz Doha and the art-focused Hyatt Centric Cairo West, the latter of which is set to open in the heart of Cairo in Q4 2024, with a convenient location near iconic landmarks such as the Giza Pyramids and The Grand Egyptian Museum. The property itself will invite guests to experience a fusion of Egyptian history and culture with an impressive collection of local art, as well as mirror installations, wall art, statues, and sculptures decorating the hotel corridors.
In Africa, the Park Hyatt Johanesburg is also expected to open in late 2024, in the city’s vibrant financial district and business hub of Rosebank, designed with the business traveller and bleisure traveller in mind. Over in Europe, Hyatt recently opened the Grand Hyatt Barcelona – which includes 22 meting rooms over 3,400 sqm as well as an 864 sqm event space – while the Zoëtry Halkidiki Resort & Spa and Park Hyatt London River Thames are expected to open in late 2024.
“The region continues to demonstrate high growth potential and is among the top global growth markets for Hyatt,” said Javier Águila, group president of Hyatt EAME. “More than half of our current pipeline has a clear focus on leisure, either through brand affiliation or destination. This proportion represents our strong commitment to expand our luxury leisure presence complementing our current portfolio in capital cities and sought-after business hubs.
“Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection represents the largest luxury all-inclusive portfolio in the world and allows us to capture leisure growth opportunities in destinations new to Hyatt along the Mediterranean coast, the Black Sea and even in the Middle East,” added Águila. “We anticipate that the planned integration of London-based luxury hotel booking platform Mr & Mrs Smith will accelerate our asset-light expansion into the regional leisure space with their selection of luxury properties in countries where there are currently no Hyatt hotels.”
