The Address Hotels & Resorts, the new hotel brand launched by Emaar Hospitality Group (EHG), has signed an agreement to manage the ’The Palace, The Old Town’ hotel within Downtown Burj Dubai.

The five-star hotel was earlier managed by Sofitel, the hotel management brand of French Accor Group.

The Palace, The Old Town is located within Downtown Burj Dubai and has 242 well-appointed guestrooms and suites including the imperial suite with an enchanting Middle Eastern ambience.

This follows a mutual agreement with Accor Group, following the conclusion of the management agreement.

Marc Dardenne, EHG chief executive officer, said: “Sofitel’s contribution to developing ’The Palace, The Old Town’ as one of the premier hotels in Dubai has been invaluable. We thank them for their support and creating a direction of growth since October 2007.”

’The Address Hotels & Resorts is Emaar’s home-grown five star premium hotel brand and The Palace, The Old Town is one of the prestigious hotel developments by Emaar,’ he noted.

’By integrating the hotel under The Address umbrella, as a separate collection, we aim to achieve service & operational consistency and efficiency, while enhancing the overall value offering of the hotel group,’ he added.

Sofitel Luxury Hotels is developing its own strategy and network in the luxury segment. To have The Address Hotels & Resorts assume the management of The Palace is a logical extension for Emaar, a view shared by both parties.

The current branding of The Palace, The Old Town will continue with The Address Hotels & Resorts managing all operational aspects. This reiterates EHG’s goal of having a diverse bouquet of hotels – some featuring The Address branding and others operated by the hotels company.

Robert Gaymer Jones, chief operating officer, Sofitel Luxury Hotels Worldwide, said, ’The Sofitel team has done a very good job since the opening of The Palace, The Old Town and I want to thank them all.’

’The Palace is one of the exemplary hotel destinations in Dubai and we are confident that The Address will build further on the strong platform of growth we have created for the property.”

The Address Hotels & Resorts will open three new hotels in Dubai: The Address, Downtown Burj Dubai; The Address, Dubai Mall; and The Address, Dubai Marina.-TradeArabia News Service