The purpose-built beachfront hotel is scheduled for late 2029, extending the young premium brand into Dubai with dining, rooftop leisure and wellness facilities.
Representatives of Minor Hotels and project partners mark the Ampersand Beach House, Colbert Collection signing at FHS World.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Minor Hotels has signed the 111-key Ampersand Beach House for Colbert Collection on Dubai Islands, making it the brand's first purpose-built property.
- The beachfront hotel is scheduled to open in late 2029 with pool-terrace suites, dining venues, rooftop leisure facilities, wellness spaces and social areas.
- NOUMA is leading project management, MIMAR is the lead design consultant for architecture and engineering, and Sundukovy Sisters Design Studio is handling the interiors.
- The signing advances Colbert Collection's UAE rollout, with Dukes The Palm Dubai Hotel also expected to join the brand later in 2026 after renovation and repositioning.
(NEWS) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, 2026-Oct-02 — /Travel PR News/ — Dubai Islands is set to add a smaller-scale beachfront hotel to its expanding hospitality pipeline as Minor Hotels takes its recently launched Colbert Collection into purpose-built development for the first time. Ampersand Beach House, a 111-key boutique lifestyle property scheduled to open in late 2029, will bring the London-rooted Ampersand name to Dubai while giving Colbert Collection its first hotel created specifically for the brand.
According to details released by Minor Hotels on 2 October, the property will combine guestrooms and suites with signature pool-terrace suites, destination dining, rooftop leisure facilities, wellness spaces and social areas intended for both international visitors and Dubai residents. The group is positioning the hotel around personalised service, contemporary architecture and an intimate, design-led style of luxury.
A new development model for Colbert Collection
The signing comes only months after Minor Hotels introduced Colbert Collection in March 2026 as a premium soft brand for independent hotels. Its first property, Porta Rossa Hotel Firenze, opened in May after the renovation of an existing historic hotel. Ampersand Beach House therefore adds a different development model: a newly built property conceived for the collection from the outset.
Minor Hotels says Dukes The Palm Dubai Hotel is also due to join Colbert Collection later in 2026 following an extensive renovation and repositioning programme. That move is expected to establish the collection in Dubai before Ampersand Beach House opens, while the 2029 project will become the brand’s first presence on Dubai Islands.
Design team and waterfront setting
The project team pairs NOUMA on project management with MIMAR as lead design consultant for architecture and engineering. Interiors are being developed by Sundukovy Sisters Design Studio. Amir Golbarg, Chief Operating Officer for Minor Hotels Middle East & Africa, said the group sees the project as a way to expand its luxury portfolio in the UAE through a design-led hotel with a strong individual identity.
Anton Fedun, Financial & Strategic Advisor to Ampersand Beach House, said the concept is intended to offer a calmer, coastal interpretation of luxury, with the guest experience guiding design and operating decisions. The project also extends the Ampersand name beyond London, where The Ampersand Hotel has operated for more than a decade.
The broader setting is part of the development story. Dubai Islands is being built as a five-island waterfront destination with hotels, resorts, residences, marinas, retail and leisure uses. In an April 2026 infrastructure update, developer Nakheel said the wider masterplan spans 18.6 square kilometres and includes about 57 kilometres of coastline, including 21 kilometres of beachfront, illustrating the scale of the tourism and hospitality district that Ampersand Beach House is set to enter.
For Minor Hotels, the signing broadens Colbert Collection beyond renovated and repositioned properties as the brand builds out its pipeline. The Dubai project remains several years from opening, but its purpose-built status makes it an early test of how the collection’s identity can translate into a hotel designed around the brand from the beginning.
