Jumeirah launches contemporary lifestyle brand: VENU
Jumeirah, the global hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, has revealed plans to launch a new contemporary lifestyle brand.
The new brand, which is called VENU, is designed to appeal to the modern traveller whose expectations revolve around their own lifestyle – clean, contemporary, cool and effortless. To mark the launch of VENU, the company has revealed the visual identity of the brand and announced the appointment of a top hotelier to lead its development. Matt Balcik has 18 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, having worked in Turkey, Washington DC, Sydney, Aruba, US Virgin Islands, New Orleans and Newport Beach, California. His most recent position was as General Manager of the W Hotel in Istanbul. Balcik has been charged with leading preparations for the roll-out of VENU internationally.
The Dubai-based developer Meraas Holding is in discussion with Jumeirah Group to operate the first VENU hotel on Bluewaters Island in Dubai. Speaking at the launch of the new brand, Nicholas Clayton, CEO Group Operations at Jumeirah Group, said: “This is a genuinely exciting innovation for Jumeirah Group. The time is right for us to launch a new contemporary lifestyle brand. Its provenance and energy comes from Dubai – and the first few VENU hotels will open here – but it is ultimately a powerful way of taking the core essence of the Dubai out into the international market, reflecting the city’s energy, dynamism and cosmopolitan nature. At the same time, coming to a VENU hotel will be an intuitive experience, built around and anticipating the needs of the modern, savvy traveller.”
