With investments exceeding $1bn, Shaner Hotels boasts a portfolio of more than 60 properties across the US, Italy, Greece, and the Bahamas. Credit: Shaner Hotels / Business Wire.

International hotel owner, operator and developer Shaner Hotels has partnered with Dubai-based The First Group to expand its presence throughout Cyprus and the Gulf region.  

The alliance, which will be under Shaner’s Italia division, marks the debut of The First Collection at Jumeirah Village Circle, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, which is the first to launch under The First Group’s lifestyle hospitality brand.

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It represents a significant step in expanding their portfolio through similar projects. 

The alliance will operate under the Tribute Portfolio and the Marriott International family of brands, leveraging the strengths of both companies.

This partnership is set to enhance the growth of managed hotels and food and beverage assets.

Shaner Hotels president Plato Ghinos said: “While there is an obvious and growing demand for well-branded, well-operated hotels throughout the Gulf region, there are surprisingly few existing opportunities there to pursue as local owners tend to gravitate toward independent properties with lesser oversight.

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“This partnership aims to fix that, providing services for all stages of the hotel life cycle, from site selection through final sale.”

Developed by The First Group and operated by The First Group Hospitality, the First Collection at Jumeirah Village Circle introduces the upper upscale 40-storey hotel as Marriott Bonvoy’s Tribute Portfolio brand’s first Middle East venture.

With investments exceeding $1bn, Shaner Hotels boasts a portfolio of more than 60 properties across the US, Italy, Greece, and the Bahamas.

For over four decades, the company has been involved in new developments and redevelopments of more than 80 hotel projects, demonstrating its longstanding expertise in the sector.

The First Group Hospitality chief strategy officer Apo Demirtas said: “Our alliance with Shaner Hotels will enable both organisations to benefit from the cross-pollination of proprietary operational systems and vast hospitality experience which will accelerate the expansion of our portfolio of managed hotels and F&B [food and beverage] assets.”   

Established in 2005, The First Group is a hospitality real estate developer and management company. Its portfolio spans hotels, residences, numerous F&B outlets, and lifestyle venues.

In just over 15 years, the company has developed 19 hospitality projects with more than 55 F&B outlets under its management arm.