IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, is bringing its conversion brand, Garner Hotels, to the Middle East through the signing of two hotels in the UAE with Nooa Holdings. Expected to open in 2026, Garner Hotel Dubai Al Jaddaf and Garner Hotel Ras Al Khaimah Downtown will add a combined 285 keys to IHG’s portfolio in the country. The milestone marks the regional debut of IHG’s fastest-scaling global brand and supports IHG’s continued growth in the UAE.

The 204-key Garner Hotel Ras Al Khaimah Downtown will bring the brand to the growing northern emirate. The converted hotel will be located by the creek in Al Nakheel, close to Al Naeem Mall and approximately 15 minutes from Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, positioning it to serve both business and leisure travellers.

The 81-key Garner Hotel Dubai Al Jaddaf will occupy a well-connected location near Al Jaddaf Waterfront, between Downtown Dubai and Dubai International Airport. Featuring a rooftop pool overlooking Dubai Creek, the hotel will be within easy reach of the city’s business, leisure and cultural hotspots.

Garner Hotels brings a distinctive proposition to the region’s growing mainstream segment – quality stays at an affordable price point, designed for guests who are in love with life, not luxury. With a highly adaptable, conversion-friendly model, the brand enables owners to unlock value with efficient and practical solutions, while delivering the relaxed, flexible and purposefully different experience travellers value most: a convenient location, a sound night’s sleep and a great breakfast. The brand offers easy-going stays that get guests on their way — and it gives owners access to IHG’s quality standards, enterprise systems and global loyalty platform, IHG One Rewards.

Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: “Bringing Garner Hotels to the Middle East is an important step in strengthening IHG’s midscale offer in the region. The UAE is a natural launch market for the brand, with strong demand from travellers seeking high-quality stays at an accessible price point and from owners looking for a compelling model backed by IHG’s systems, scale and global platforms. We are pleased to mark this milestone with Nooa Holdings as we continue to bring the right brands to the right locations across the UAE.”

Amit Basnet, Founder & CEO, Nooa Holdings, added: “We are pleased to partner with IHG through Garner Hotel Dubai Al Jaddaf and Garner Hotel Ras Al Khaimah Downtown. Garner Hotels’ flexible model and focus on high-quality, affordable stays make it a strong fit for these two destinations. We look forward to opening both hotels and exploring further opportunities to grow our portfolio with IHG.”

The signings respond to growing demand for high-quality, branded midscale accommodation in the UAE. Serving transient, business and leisure travellers, the two hotels will broaden guest choice in Al Jaddaf and Ras Al Khaimah while advancing IHG’s strategy to grow in high-potential destinations across the Emirates.

IHG® currently has 39 hotels operating across eight brands in UAE, including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts®, Vignette Collection, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza®, voco™ Hotels, Holiday Inn Resort® , Holiday Inn Express® and Staybridge Suites, and a strong pipeline of 110 hotels due to open in the next 3-5 years.

Kcal has launched the world’s first 360 longevity programme, bringing together nutrition, hydration, supplementation and before-and-after biomarker testing within one structured 12-week programme. While each of these elements exists independently, Kcal is the first to bring all four together within a single programme. The launch marks the latest step in Kcal’s evolution. Sixteen years after launching in Dubai, the business is continuing to look firmly ahead, continuing to explore how nutrition and everyday health can become more personalised, connected and measurable Each client begins with a 26-marker blood panel, taken at home or in the office and processed by European diagnostics group Unilabs.

This establishes their baseline before beginning the programme. At Week 12, the panel is repeated, allowing clients to compare their results with where they started. The first intake is limited to 50 clients, allowing the Kcal team to work closely with each client throughout the 12 week. Andreas Borgmann, Founder & CEO of Kcal, said: “Food has always been where Kcal starts, but it isn’t where health ends.

What we eat, how we hydrate and the nutrients we give our bodies all work together. Too often, these things are looked at separately. “For me, the important part is being able to measure it. We can all say something is good for you, but I would rather look at the data. That’s why the programme starts with blood work and finishes with blood work. You have a baseline, you follow the programme for 12 weeks, and then you can see what actually changed.”

How the 360 longevity programme works

The programme runs Monday to Friday across 12 weeks, giving clients 60 delivery days within a structured 5-on/2-off cycle. It is built around four connected areas: biology, nutrition, hydration and supplementation.

1. Biology

The programme begins with a 26-marker blood panel powered by Unilabs, covering metabolism and blood sugar, cholesterol and cardiovascular health, liver function, vitamins and hormones. Results are reviewed with a dedicated Kcal nutritionist and help inform the client’s programme. At Week 12, the blood panel is repeated under the same conditions, giving clients a direct comparison with their starting results.

2. Nutrition

Clients receive three meals and two snacks daily, built around the Kcal plate: half greens, a quarter protein, with the remaining quarter split between healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. Meals are prepared with olive oil only and contain no additives, preservatives, seed oils or processed ingredients. The men’s programme averages 1,900 kcal and 150g of protein per day. The women’s programme averages 1,500 kcal and 120g of protein per day.

3. Hydration

Kcal Hydra+ provides two sugar-free electrolyte sachets daily, each containing 2g of creatine monohydrate, as part of the programme’s approach to daily hydration.

4. Supplementation

Each 23g sachet contains 38 active ingredients, including NMN, Calcium AKG, spermidine, creatine, Lion’s Mane and collagen, among others. The formula is third-party lab verified and contains no proprietary blends, with every ingredient and every dose listed on the label.

Made for real life

The 360 longevity programme follows a 5-on/2-off structure. Meals, Core and Hydra+ are delivered Monday through Friday, while weekends sit outside the structured programme. During weekends, clients are encouraged to continue the habits that sit behind the programme, including balanced meals, hydration, quality sleep and daily movement.

What clients can expect

A nurse draws the baseline panel at the client’s home or office. Meals begin three days later, informed by the client’s baseline metabolic markers. The full results are reviewed with a dedicated Kcal nutritionist. At Week 12, the process repeats under the same conditions: same panel, same lab, same protocol. Clients then receive a direct comparison against where they started.

Pricing and availability

The women’s programme is AED 233 per day and the men’s programme is AED 250 per day, across 60 days of food over 12 weeks. Payment splits are available through Tabby. Applications for the first 50 places are now open at kcallife.com/longevity.

Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Riyadh Minhal, marked the Kingdom’s Saudi National Day with a celebration built around community, inclusion and national pride.

This year, the hotel joined hands with Nutq Association for Speech and Language Disorders, (جمعية ذوي اضطرابات النطق واللغة – نطق) welcoming members of the association to take part in the National Day celebration and share the joy of the occasion. The collaboration created a meaningful opportunity for participation, connection, and greater awareness, while giving the association’s members a platform to be part of the celebration in their own way.

Nutq is the first association in the Kingdom dedicated to treating children with speech and language disorders. It works to rehabilitate these children and improve their quality of life through specialised programmes, with a focus on families with limited income who cannot afford the cost of therapy sessions.

As part of the festivities, representatives from Nutq Association took part in special activities, bringing their presence and talents into the heart of the celebration.

“At Radisson Blu Minhal, we believe that a celebration becomes more meaningful when everyone has a place in it,” said André Adel Saadé, General Manager of Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Riyadh Minhal. “This Saudi National Day, we wanted to honour this remarkable country, a welcoming home to people from countless nationalities and backgrounds, by recognising the people who make our community what it is. Our collaboration with Nutq Association gave us the opportunity to share this special occasion together, create a moment of genuine connection, and celebrate the talents and individuality of its members.”

The collaboration reflects Radisson Hotel Group’s “Think People, Think Community, and Think Planet” philosophy, with community engagement forming an important part of the Group’s approach to hospitality. For Radisson Blu Riyadh Minhal, the initiative also builds on its role as a longstanding destination in the capital, extending the meaning of hospitality beyond the hotel itself and into the wider community.

Through its National Day celebration, Radisson Blu Riyadh Minhal honoured not only the Kingdom’s achievements and the pride of its people, but also the values of inclusion, participation and togetherness that continue to shape Saudi Arabia’s future.