From Left to Right: Isabela Tsepisi, Senior Development & Feasibility Analyst, Minor Hotels MEA, Camil El Chantiry, Senior Development Manager, Minor Hotels MEA, Lema Yazigi, Senior Development Director, Minor Hotels MEA, Yulia Askhadulina, Group Director, Legal and Data Protection, Minor Hotels AMEA, Nubar Manukyan, Founder, NOUMA Projects, William E. Heinecke, Founder & Chairman, Minor International, Anton Fedun, Owner & Chairman, Colibri Investments LLC, Amir Golbarg, Chief Operating Officer, Minor Hotels MEA, Zahy Khoury, Development Director, Minor Hotels MEA, Mohammed Kamal Al Shurafa, Managing Director of MIMAR, Omar Romero, Global Chief Development & Luxury Officer, Minor Hotels and Ngan Tran, Development & Feasibility Manager, Minor Hotels MEA
A London address reimagined on the Dubai coastline
Minor Hotels has signed Ampersand Beach House, which will join the Colbert Collection. The 111-key property will be the brand’s first purpose-built hotel, and will also mark its arrival on Dubai Islands.
The beachfront project extends the story of The Ampersand Hotel, which has been operating in London for more than a decade. It carries the same spirit into a seaside setting, in a “barefoot luxury” register: a more relaxed form of luxury, oriented towards the coast. The opening is scheduled for the end of 2029.
For Minor Hotels, the signing marks a further step in its growth in the United Arab Emirates. It reflects the group’s ambition to build a portfolio of differentiated luxury and lifestyle brands in high-potential destinations.
A boutique hotel designed for a mixed clientele
Dubai Islands is one of the United Arab Emirates’ leading waterfront development projects. The site already hosts other branded schemes, such as ELLE Residences Dubai Islands, developed with ANAX Developments. Ampersand Beach House will offer an intimate concept built on personalised service, contemporary architecture and lifestyle experiences.
Accommodation will comprise rooms and suites, including signature suites with terraces and pools. The hotel will also feature several dining venues, rooftop leisure spaces, wellness facilities and social spaces, designed for international travellers and Dubai residents alike.
A bespoke project team
The team was assembled specifically to deliver the project’s architectural ambitions. NOUMA is handling project management, while MIMAR is lead consultant for architecture and engineering. Interior design has been entrusted to Sundukovy Sisters Design Studio, a practice recognised in the hospitality and restaurant sectors.
According to Minor Hotels, the deal reflects how Dubai’s luxury hotel market is evolving. Demand for highly personalised, experience-led boutique hotels is growing there alongside the expansion of the city’s leisure offer.
The operator’s and developer’s perspective
Amir Golbarg, Chief Operating Officer of Minor Hotels for the Middle East and Africa, said the United Arab Emirates continues to offer remarkable opportunities for thoughtful, design-led hospitality, and that Dubai Islands is set to become one of the city’s major leisure destinations. He added that Ampersand Beach House perfectly embodies the Colbert Collection vision, offering an intimate luxury experience centred on exceptional design, personalised service and a strong identity.
Anton Fedun, financial and strategic adviser to Ampersand Beach House, explained the choice of operator, saying that Minor Hotels’ experience in luxury hospitality, combined with the positioning of Colbert Collection, made it the natural choice. He described the project’s intention as offering something that does not yet exist on Dubai’s hotel scene: a hotel that allows guests to step away from the usual ostentatious luxury and into a refined world of barefoot luxury, imbued with serenity, harmony and the spirit of an island holiday.
Colbert Collection gathers pace in Dubai
This signing adds to the brand’s roll-out in the United Arab Emirates. By the end of the year, Dukes The Palm Dubai Hotel, which Minor Hotels took over on Palm West Beach in 2025, will join the collection following a major renovation and repositioning programme. It will be the first Colbert Collection address in Dubai, ahead of the opening of Ampersand Beach House in 2029.
The group is thus continuing to strengthen its presence in the emirate, where it recently unveiled NH Collection Dubai Ibn Battuta with Seven Tides. Minor Hotels presents Dubai Islands as a fast-growing destination, driven by significant investment in hospitality, residential and leisure infrastructure.
Analysis – Launched in March 2026, Colbert Collection has so far grown through the conversion of existing assets, from The WestDill Mayfair in London to a former convent in San Gimignano, Tuscany, by way of Koh Samui in Thailand. With Ampersand Beach House, the soft brand is opening up to new-build projects for the first time, demonstrating its ability to bring development projects on board, not just independent hotels already in operation.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Minor Hotels signs Ampersand Beach House on Dubai Islands
111-key boutique lifestyle hotel, opening late 2029
First purpose-built Colbert Collection property and brand debut on Dubai Islands
Concept inspired by The Ampersand Hotel, operating in London for over ten years
Project team: NOUMA (project management), MIMAR (architecture and engineering), Sundukovy Sisters Design Studio (interiors)
Dukes The Palm Dubai to join Colbert Collection later this year, after renovation and repositioning
