The upscale Pullman Hotels and Resorts brand is set to make its debut in Dubai, following a partnership between Accor Hospitality Middle East and MAF Properties.

The Middle East's first Pullman hotel will be located at the Mall of the Emirates, comprising 481 rooms, of which 94 will besuites, It is set to be completed by the second half of 2010.

The agreement brings together Accor, one of the world's leading hotel and hospitality providers and the Majid Al Futtaim Group, the leading retail and leisure pioneer in the Greater Middle East.

The Pullman brand, specially featured to cater to the business travelers and MICE (meeting incentive conference exhibition) market, has carved a niche in the fast growing upscale business hotel segment, and has grown rapidly to a network of 50 distinctive properties across the world by 2009.

A second Pullman, the Deira City Centre Hotel, is due to be unveiled after its extensive renovation scheduled over the next 24 months.

The Pullman Mall of the Emirates hotel has a prime location and is being developed as part of the Mall's impressive new extension plans.

'Upscale hotels adjacent to the retail, leisure and entertainment offerings of a Mall have proved highly successful and complementary. We are looking forward to developing this innovative approach to hospitality further with the arrival of Pullman at the Mall of the Emirates and eventually at Deira City Centre,' said Dr Najeeb Al Khaja, senior vice president for Hospitality at MAF Properties.

'Pullman is a brand that has long been associated with sophisticated business frequent travelers and tourists, and has maintained a reputation of innovation and comfort in a highly demanding market,' added Christophe Landais, MD Accor Hospitality Middle East.

The MAF Group owns four hotels in the region including the Kempinski Hotel at the Mall of the Emirates, and the Novotel and Ibis Hotels on the Port Saeed Road with a further seven hotels under construction.

Accor has 4,000 hotels in 90 countries and plans to build a network of 300 Pullman destinations within the next six years.-TradeArabia News Service