UAE: DIFC Courts Order Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai Hotel Owner To Respect Hotel Management Contract

DIFC Courts has issued a court order prohibiting the owner of the Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai hotel from taking any further actions to prevent Viceroy Hotels and Resorts from exercising Viceroy’s exclusive authority to manage and operate the hotel.

Viceroy requested the DIFC Courts’ assistance following the actions taken by the hotel’s owner on Monday 19 June.

It had announced the purported takeover of the hotel by Five Hotels and Resorts, a company affiliated with the hotel’s owner, and took steps to attempt to remove Viceroy from the property.

Bill Walshe, chief executive officer of Viceroy Hotel Group, commented: Contrary to the hotel owner’s statements and subsequent media reports, Viceroy has always been, and remains, the legal operator of the Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai.

The Court’s order requires, among other things, Viceroy’s name, signage and branding to be reinstated at the hotel.

Our priority remains to work with our outstanding hotel colleagues to ensure continuity of service and consistent delivery of a guest experience in keeping with the Viceroy ideology.

We will continue to work strenuously with our legal team to ensure we achieve this.

According to a statement from Viceroy, the owner’s actions breached the existing hotel management agreement.

Viceroy is currently taking steps to ensure that the hotel’s owner complies fully with the terms of the court order and the hotel management agreement.

Viceroy Hotels and Resorts signed a long-term hotel management agreement to operate the Palm Jumeirah hotel in 2013.

The resort officially opened on 31 March 2017.

The Viceroy Palm Jumeirah Dubai has 477 rooms and suites, comprising 85 suites and 40 hotel apartments.

Walshe added: Viceroy is immensely proud to contribute to Dubai’s dynamic hospitality landscape with the opening of our Palm Jumeirah hotel on 31 March 2017.

We are committed to supporting Dubai’s Vision to be a leading tourism market and will strongly resist any attempts to threaten this.