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Homegrown UAE Hospitality Brand LEVA Hotels Announce Ambitious GCC, Africa Expansion Drive

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LEVA Hotels is poised to make a meaningful contribution to the overall growth of the Middle East and Africa hospitality industry by transforming and scaling up the region’s hidden gems.

Anchoring its hospitality offering and service delivery on ‘fresh and innovative’ the new properties are part of an ongoing ambitious expansion exercise that will see the dynamic lifestyle hotel brand modernize and manage a total of eight properties spanning the Middle East and Africa by the end of 2023.

“We are thrilled to be announcing the opening of six new distinct properties across key regions that we not only consider to be strategic to the overall growth of the company but also crucial to a growing segment in the hospitality sector that’s increasingly demanding for affordable yet comfortable experiences,” said J.S. Anand, founder, and CEO, LEVA Hotels and Resorts.

Properties under LEVA’s management

In KSA, LEVA Hotels has inked two strategic Hotel Management Agreements with Jeddah-based EKONO by Leva Al Shati and three-star EKONO by Leva Jeddah Airport Hotel, respectively. As part of the deal, LEVA Hotels will be responsible for overseeing the two properties’ service offering transformation which is in line with KSA’s Vision 2030, which aims to attract 100 million visitors by 2030.

Besides, both these properties are located at less than an hour’s travel distance from Mecca, and therefore are perfect for UMRA travellers looking for comfortable and convenient hotel accommodations during their pilgrimage.

In Nigeria, which has mostly lacked luxury hotels, LEVA Hotels will be responsible for the transformation and management of Reiz Continental Hotel by Leva – a project under construction in partnership with Kostarget Projects LTD developers and owned by REIZ Continental Hotels LTD. As part of the partnership, the Lagos-based hotel will be positioned as an “Upscale Five-Star Luxury Lifestyle Hotel” with unique, contemporary, and cost-effective aesthetics including a total of five distinct food and beverage concepts and Leva’s F&B partner, Sven’s Baker’s Kitchen.

In Uganda, LEVA Hotels has taken over the management of the Kampala’s first boutique hotel, Emin Pasha Leva Hotel to ultimately position the property as a top choice for guests on vacation as well as business trips. Owned by The Emin Pasha Ltd., this property is now under renovation and will include LEVA’s design language infused with the region’s aesthetics, two important metrics that will further boost the hotel’s booking significantly.

LEVA Hotel’s foray into Africa’s hospitality industry will be crowned by its debut in Ethiopia with two strategic partnerships with LEVA Afrotsion Semera Resort and Harsade Harbour Resort by LEVA. As its first luxury resort in Ethiopia’s Semera region, LEVA Afrotsion Semera Resort is now poised to offer a refreshed and diverse hospitality experience. Ethiopia is globally known for its natural scenery including some of Africa’s lesser-known wildlife – an attribute that attracts scores of tourists to the region.

The 60-key Harsade Harbour Resort will incorporate LEVA Hotels’ key brand design elements and include five restaurants and three well-equipped conference halls. Set to launch this year, the property is set to offer a fresh, vibrant, and innovative service in the country.

Hospitality

A Little Boo with Your Brunch: Halloween Takes Over Nalu

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This Halloween, Nalu is adding a spooky twist to its award-winning Saturday brunch with Boo & Brunch, a family- and pet-friendly afternoon filled with delicious food, lively entertainment and just the right amount of mischief!

Taking place on Saturday 31 October from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, the waterfront venue will be transformed with Halloween décor and playful touches for the occasion. Families can bring their little monsters along for face painting, a treat station and dedicated children’s activities, while furry companions are welcome to join the fun on Nalu’s outdoor deck.

Guests can settle in for Nalu’s signature Surf Brunch, featuring coastal-inspired favourites including Tuna Tostadas, crispy Coconut Prawns and the Nalu Island Platter, followed by the special Halloween dessert, La Calavera – a blood orange and raspberry gel with black sesame parfait, blackberries and red sauce.

DJ Nicholas Hillman and Lobbo will keep the energy flowing throughout the afternoon with an upbeat soundtrack, while costumes, treats and spooky surprises bring the spirit of the season to Nalu’s laid-back waterfront setting. Guests of all ages are encouraged to dress up and embrace the Halloween spirit, adding even more colour and character to the afternoon.

Brunch packages are priced at AED 235 per person, including unlimited soft drinks for three hours and a food set menu, or AED 299 per person, including an unlimited selection of drinks for three hours and a food set menu.

Guests are invited to gather their favourite people, dress for the occasion and bring their furry sidekicks along for an afternoon of good food, great company and a little light-hearted Halloween chaos by the water.

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Hospitality

TWG Tea Unveils the TWG Tea Gallery, Its Largest Flagship and First-Ever TWG Tea Museum at Singapore Changi Airport

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TWG Tea, the finest luxury tea brand in the world, unveils its largest global flagship, TWG Tea Gallery, at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3, marking a significant milestone in the brand’s international growth. Welcoming travellers around the clock, the TWG Tea Gallery is strategically located within one of the world’s leading aviation hubs, underscoring TWG Tea’s continued investment in travel retail as a key pillar of its global expansion strategy. Spanning 2,700 square feet beneath a soaring 23-foot-high ceiling, the new flagship represents the brand’s most ambitious retail expression to date, setting a new benchmark for luxury tea in the global travel retail landscape.

Envisioned as an immersive expression of TWG Tea’s craftsmanship and savoir-faire, this destination invites discerning travellers into a luminous world where rare harvests, exquisite blends and timeless rituals converge. Its landmark TWG Tea Museum showcases more than 170 antique tea wares and over 50 antique Russian samovars from the 17th to 20th centuries, personally curated by the brand over the past 15 years from around the world. TWG Tea Gallery also introduces a selection of exclusive creations, including the Grand Voyage Tea from the Grand Mode Tea Collection, the Singapore Surprise Gift Set, and specially created tea-infused macarons, ice cream and sorbet.

Bringing together the Tea Boutique, curated tea accessories, bespoke gifting and a Takeaway experience, this flagship also introduces Singapore’s only Tea-Infused Ice Cream & Sorbet concept, designed for travellers on the go. An impressive tea wall displaying more than 1,200 tea tins anchors the space, transforming the space into a compelling new expression of TWG Tea for today’s global traveller.

“The TWG Tea Gallery represents the most definitive expression of TWG Tea to date. More than a Tea Boutique, the flagship brings the past, present and future of tea into one immersive experience, celebrating the stories, traditions and artistry that have shaped tea over the centuries, brought to life through its landmark TWG Tea Museum. Singapore has remained central to TWG Tea since its founding, and we are honoured to present our largest global flagship at Changi Airport, an icon of aviation excellence and an extraordinary platform to bring the world of TWG Tea to travellers from around the world.”
—Taha Bouqdib, President & CEO of V3 Gourmet and Co-Founder of TWG Tea

“Changi Airport is proud to be home to TWG Tea’s largest flagship store in the world and its first-ever TWG Tea Museum. As one of Singapore’s most recognised brands, TWG Tea offers travellers a uniquely Singapore experience. Together with TWG Tea, we are delighted to introduce a collection of exclusives created specially for Changi Airport, including Singapore’s only tea-infused ice cream and sorbet concept. This new flagship transforms a retail visit into an immersive journey through the heritage, artistry and culture of tea, reflecting the innovation and hospitality that define both TWG Tea and Changi.”
—
Hung Jean, Managing Director of Airside Concessions at Changi Airport Group

A Voyage Through Design

This location within Changi Airport was chosen to house TWG Tea Museum to form a defining part of the flagship experience, showcasing more than 170 antique tea wares and decorative objects spanning cultures and eras. The collection offers a compelling window into the artistry and cultures that have shaped tea over the centuries, adding a rich traditional dimension to the contemporary travel retail experience.

Among its highlights are Yixing clay teapots, traditionally marked by their makers and prized for their craftsmanship and provenance, alongside Chinese and Western tea wares tracing evolving traditions of form and decoration from the 18th century to the present day. Blue-and-white ceramics shaped by Chinese-Islamic artistic exchange sit alongside porcelain once prized in Europe as “white gold,” revealing the movement of ideas and aesthetics across cultures through the rituals of tea.

The collection also includes more than 50 antique samovars from Russia, with notable 19th- and early-20th-century examples from the celebrated workshops of Tula and beyond. Works by makers such as the Batashev and Shemarin brothers bear distinctive hallmarks attesting to their provenance and craftsmanship, offering a further perspective on the decorative traditions surrounding tea.

This dialogue between cultures continues in the flagship’s design, crowned by a hand-painted ceiling depicting a luminous world tea map. As its defining architectural feature, the composition traces the global journey of tea through intricate motifs and rich colour, extending the museum’s narrative of cultural exchange into the contemporary setting of Changi Airport Terminal 3.

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Hospitality

From AMAYA to MYA: Dubai Mall Dining Destination Refines Its Global Identity

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AMAYA is now MYA. As the brand expands its regional and international presence, a unified name gives every location one voice and every guest one clear promise. MYA supports consistency across its growing portfolio of destinations while preserving the energy, hospitality and attention to detail established in Dubai.

The Dubai-born dining and lifestyle brand has refined its name as part of its continued growth: one concise name that can be recognized, remembered and expressed with equal confidence in every market. MYA is shorter by design, creating greater clarity across destinations, partnerships, communications and digital platforms.

The refinement is precise. MYA carries forward the same founder and leadership, the same team, the same concept, the same culinary direction, the same standards and the same distinctive guest experience. Everything that earned the trust of AMAYA’s guests remains at the heart of MYA.

“Strong brands grow through clarity, consistency and trust. MYA gives the name we have built a sharper global expression. Our people, standards and guest experience remain exactly the same. One name. One vision. One uncompromising standard, built in Dubai and continuing forward as MYA.”               

–  Murat Tutuncu and Moe Ezzat  | Founders & CEO, MYA

MYA’s purpose is clear – to give the established Dubai-born hospitality brand a shorter and more consistent name as it grows across destinations. The shorter name increases recognition, the unified name strengthens consistency, and the same standards give the brand the foundation to grow confidently across cultures and geographies.

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