Anantara Hotels & Resorts, the experiential luxury brand of Minor Hotels, marks its 25th anniversary with the launch of a global campaign: 25 Years of Unforgettable Journeys. From a single resort in Thailand to a global portfolio spanning over 50 hotels and resorts across 24 countries, the milestone celebrates the destinations, team members and guests who have shaped the brand since its creation.

A Brand Born in Thailand

The Anantara brand was founded in 2001 by William Heinecke, Chairman and Founder of Minor International, parent company of Minor Hotels, to address the need for a luxury hotel brand offering immersive, experience-led stays. He envisioned a brand that enables cultural discovery through indigenous design, local cuisine and unique destination experiences. The name Anantara comes from the Sanskrit word meaning ‘without end’, evoking discovery, new horizons and the celebration of life’s journey.

“Creating Anantara remains one of my proudest professional accomplishments,” explains Mr Heinecke. “Building the brand from the ground up gave us the opportunity to apply what we learned from operating hotels in Thailand for more than 20 years and satisfy the growing demand from discerning travellers who want memorable local experiences and adventures while having luxurious accommodations to come back to each evening.”

The first Anantara resort, Anantara Hua Hin Resort, opened to guests on 4 March 2001 in the seaside town of Hua Hin, three hours from Bangkok, Thailand’s capital city. Its design, inspired by a traditional Thai village, draws architectural heritage into tropical gardens, embodying Anantara’s ethos of cultural immersion from the outset.

Purposeful Expansion

From Hua Hin, the brand extended across Thailand, with Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort in the north and Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort in the south, each shaped by landscape architect Bill Bensley, whose eye for locale gave the early portfolio its distinct continuity.

International expansion followed in 2006 with Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort, the brand’s first venture outside Thailand and the proof of concept that opened the door to the Middle East, Africa, Asia and, in later years, Europe. The 2015 rebranding of a landmark Bangkok property as Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel was a personal milestone for Mr Heinecke and a strategic one for the brand, signalling its evolution from resort brand to a hospitality brand equally at home in the world’s great cities. In recent years, Minor Hotels has expanded Anantara into iconic European cities, adding new properties in Amalfi, Amsterdam, Budapest, Dublin, Nice, Rome and Vienna.  

Anantara’s expansion into extraordinary destinations continues with upcoming debuts in Australia, Japan, Egypt, Argentina, Croatia, Turks & Caicos and the United States. The brand will also introduce Anantara Tented Camps in 2026, beginning with Anantara Tented Camp Kafue River in Zambia, adjacent to Kafue National Park, the country’s largest and oldest reserve.

“Anantara has played a defining role in shaping Minor Hotels’ luxury portfolio over the past 25 years,” said Dillip Rajakarier, Group CEO of Minor International. “Our focus remains on thoughtful, disciplined expansion that stays true to Anantara’s foundations, with immersive experiences, a strong sense of place and genuine cultural connection guiding how and where the brand evolves.”

Curating Unforgettable Experiences

For a quarter of a century, Anantara has been deeply committed to enabling journeys of discovery, authenticity and indulgence. To commemorate the milestone, the brand launches a global programme of signature experiences and activations to immerse guests in the destination’s surroundings and culture.

Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites is turning up the action at The Croft, introducing a new live sports experience designed for fans who want to watch the game properly with great screens, great atmosphere, and even better deals.

Set in the heart of Dubai Marina, The Croft now shows a packed calendar of live sport across football, rugby, Formula 1, tennis, and every UEFA Champions League fixture. Six indoor screens ensure you’re never far from the action, whether it’s a midweek match or a full weekend line-up.

From Real Madrid and FC Barcelona to Manchester United, Liverpool FC and Arsenal, the world’s biggest clubs take center stage, shown live in a setting that’s lively, social, and effortlessly relaxed.

To mark the hotel’s 17th anniversary, drinks start from just AED 17, adding a celebratory edge to every matchday and making it even easier to settle in for the long haul.

At its core, The Croft keeps things simple: good food, cold drinks, and a proper place to watch the game. British-inspired favorites and classic pub bites round out the experience, making it just as suited to a casual evening as it is to a big match with friends.

THE CROFT – LIVE SPORTS EXPERIENCE

Where the game comes first.

A new go-to for live sport in Dubai Marina, The Croft brings together a full calendar of matches, six indoor screens, and a laid-back, social atmosphere that keeps the focus where it should be: on the game.

With drinks from AED 17 as part of the hotel’s anniversary celebrations, it’s a space designed for fans to settle in, stay awhile, and catch every moment.

WHERE: The Croft, Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites, Dubai Marina
WHEN: Ongoing                                                                                                                      PRICE: Drinks starting from AED 17

Opening Hours:

• Tuesday – Saturday: 4:00 PM – 1:00 AM (Dinner)
• Sunday: 12:30 PM – 1:00 AM (Lunch & Dinner)
• Monday: Closed

For more information or to book, visit instagram.com/croftdubai or call 04 319 4000

A NEW COCKTAIL COLLECTION

Shanghai Me, the acclaimed Pan-Asian dining destination at the heart of DIFC, is marking World Cocktail Day with the launch of The Alchemy, a new cocktail collection built not around flavour profiles, but around something far more elemental.

Drawing on the five elements of Chinese philosophy, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, the menu takes its cue from the cyclical logic of the Chinese zodiac, in which each element aligns with its corresponding animal sign only once every sixty years. It is this rare convergence of character and energy that forms the conceptual foundation of the collection, with each cocktail functioning as an interpretation of a specific elemental force.

The result is a menu of considerable range. Some drinks are immediate and bold; others open slowly, revealing texture and progression across each sip. Fire manifests as intensity; Water as something fluid and instinctive; Earth as depth and weight; Metal as cool precision; Wood as forward momentum. Rather than using the zodiac as aesthetic decoration, the collection treats it as a structural framework, with each drink carrying a personality shaped by both its animal sign and its elemental character.

In its approach, The Alchemy reflects the culinary philosophy that has defined Shanghai Me since its Dubai opening, the blending of refined Japanese technique with the bolder flavours of Chinese cuisine, reinterpreted rather than preserved. The collection is helmed by the restaurant’s bar team and developed in keeping with the broader vision of chef-preneur Izu Ani and restaurateur Evgeny Kuzin under Fundamental Hospitality.

The Alchemy launches today, the 13th May, and will be available at Shanghai Me Dubai from that evening.

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