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UK singer Robbie Williams reveals Dubai hotel plan

By Gavin Gibbon
Robbie Williams Reuters
Robbie Williams, seen here at the Cannes Film Festival, plans to open a hotel in Dubai, including a performance venue
  • Take That star plans Dubai resort
  • 700 rooms and performance venue
  • Branded properties surge in value

UK pop singer Robbie Williams has revealed plans to build a hotel resort in Dubai.

The 49-year-old former member of Take That, who performed in Abu Dhabi last month, told Wondery’s Brydon & podcast that he is building a 700-room hotel in Dubai.

He explained to host Rob Brydon that the development was spurred by an experience at a Wynn hotel in Las Vegas where has was charged $240 for breakfast.

“I got really angry and then I was just like, I’ll build my own hotel,” he said.

He added that the resort in the emirate would include a purpose-built venue for him.

“I then thought Dubai and then I thought, actually, there’s no residences for artists like me in Dubai,” Williams said. “And then I thought, ah, that’s interesting, I’m going to do that. I’m going to start that.”

Williams has a net worth of $300 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth.com.

He will be hoping his venture is more successful than a list of celebrities who have previously put their names to projects to be built in Dubai that failed to materialise.

This includes former US President Donald Trump, golfing superstar Tiger Woods, Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan and ex-Liverpool and England footballer Steven Gerrard.

Former Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were linked with the purchase of an island on Dubai’s The World back in 2007.

Pitt was also reported to be part of a team that had partnered with developer Zabeel Properties to design and build an environmentally friendly hotel in Dubai.

The number of branded residences in Dubai increased from 71 to 92 developments in the first half of 2023, according to a report from Morgan’s International Realty.

It revealed that the average price per square foot for branded residences in the emirate witnessed a 33 percent uptick since December 2022, reaching AED4,188 ($1,140). 

The premium for branded residences against non-branded properties surged to 96 percent during the first half of this year, almost doubling the average premium seen in the latter half of 2022, which stood at 42 percent. 

“This noteworthy increase signifies the growing appeal and perceived value of branded residences in Dubai’s real estate market,” the report said.

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