Luxury hotel brand Shaza Hotels, a joint venture between Qatar-based Barwa Real Estate and Kempinski Hotels, is set to open 20 hotels in the Middle East by 2020, a senior official has revealed.

Speaking at a media roundtable today at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain, Sanjiv Malhotra, executive vice president - Shaza Hotels, unveiled the group's expansion plans over the next four years, and the story behind the unique brand.

"Since our inception, the core idea was to create a luxury hotel brand that is born of the Middle Eastern culture," said Malhotra.

Taking its inspiration from cultures along the Silk Route, Shaza is the only brand which offers "hand crafted" Middle Eastern guest experiences in a contemporary setting, Malhotra said.

Shaza, which derives its name from the Arabic word for 'fragrance', first entered the hospitality market in 2010, with a 469-key property in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

Now the brand is looking to further expand its five-star offering with 13 hotels (2,500 rooms) signed across the region including Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, Riyadh, Bahrain, Doha, Amman, Salalah, Fez, Marrakech, Cairo and Muscat.

Each of the 13 hotels will have a unique core theme covering art, wellness, honeymoon etc.

Targeting pilgrims to the holy cites in Saudi Arabia, Shaza Makkah is set to open in the first quarter of 2017, followed by openings in Muscat (Q2), Salalah (Q3) and Doha (Q4).

Shaza is also targeting Bahrain with a project planned in the Seef district. Negotiations are currently underway and no opening date has been confirmed. The project is expected to cost over $150 million and will comprise 180 rooms., Malhotra said.

He also confirmed that the group would be shelving its Bahrain Bay project, which was earlier announced in 2008, until the financial situation improves.

"Bahrain Bay is a beautiful architecture but beacuse of the financial crisis, the project is on hold at the moment," he said.

"The Middle East is cautious when it comes to large investments because of the low oil prices.

"These economic challenges have an impact on investments."

Malhotra also unveiled the brand's latest hositality offering - Mysk - which falls under the four-star segment. This brand of hotels will target the younger travellers in the region.

"Shaza Hotels is our mature brand of hotels and Mysk will be our more vibrant, convivial brand," said Malhotra.

A twist on the word 'musk', the first Mysk hotel will open in Muscat, Oman in the second quarter of 2017. Malhotra also said that the group was open to the idea of bringing its flagship Mysk to Bahrain as well.

The group's 20-hotel portfolio by 2020 will include 14 Shaza Hotels and six Mysk Hotels, Malhotra confirmed. - TradeArabia News Service