The Ampersand Beach House hotel will open on Dubai Islands in late 2029 with 111 keys for the Colbert Collection

Minor Hotels has signed the Ampersand Beach House, a 111-key boutique hotel set to open on the Dubai Islands seafront in late 2029. It will be the first Colbert Collection hotel built from the ground up, and the brand’s first address on Dubai Islands. In Dubai, it will follow Dukes The Palm, which is due to join the brand by the end of 2026.

☰Contents

1. 111 keys on the Dubai Islands seafront
2. Why a name borrowed from London?
3. Barefoot luxury rather than flashy excess
4. NOUMA, MIMAR and Sundukovy Sisters at the helm
5. Colbert Collection’s first hotel is in Florence
6. Dukes The Palm first, Dubai Islands in 2029

111 keys on the Dubai Islands seafront

Minor Hotels describes the Ampersand Beach House as a lifestyle boutique hotel. Its 111 keys will be split between rooms and suites, topped by signature suites with terrace and pool. The announced line-up brings together destination restaurants, rooftop leisure spaces, wellness facilities and social areas, aimed as much at international travellers as at Dubai residents. The names of the restaurants and their chefs have not yet been revealed.

For Amir Golbarg, Minor Hotels’ Chief Operating Officer for the Middle East and Africa, Dubai Islands is set to become one of the leisure destinations that will define the city. He sees the project as an embodiment of Colbert Collection through its design, personalised service and character.

Why a name borrowed from London?

The name comes from South Kensington in London, where the Ampersand Hotel has been welcoming guests for more than a decade. The London hotel is not part of Colbert Collection: it lends its name and spirit to the Dubai project, which reinterprets them as coastal luxury.

Barefoot luxury rather than flashy excess

The positioning comes down to two words: barefoot luxury. Anton Fedun, financial and strategic adviser to the Ampersand Beach House, introduced in the official signing photo as owner and chairman of Colibri Investments LLC, wants to offer something Dubai does not yet have: a hotel that steps away from flashy luxury, with a feeling of peace, harmony and island holidays.

NOUMA, MIMAR and Sundukovy Sisters at the helm

The agreement was signed in Dubai at FHS World, the Future Hospitality Summit, in the presence of William E. Heinecke, founder and chairman of Minor International, and announced on 2 October 2026. Project management goes to NOUMA, founded by Nubar Manukyan; MIMAR is lead consultant for architecture and engineering. The interiors are entrusted to Sundukovy Sisters Design Studio, a studio well known in hotel and restaurant design.

Colbert Collection’s first hotel is in Florence

Colbert Collection is Minor Hotels’ premium soft brand for independent hotels. Inspired by the cafés of the Parisian boulevards, it is built around culture, food and social connection, with three pillars: art of place, art of gathering and art of taste.

Its first hotel, the Porta Rossa Hotel Firenze, opened in Florence on 12 May 2026 with 69 rooms and suites. Its address is recorded as early as 1386, which probably makes it the oldest hotel in Italy, according to Minor Hotels.

Dukes The Palm first, Dubai Islands in 2029

In Dubai, Dukes The Palm Dubai Hotel will join the brand later in 2026, after renovation and repositioning: it will be Colbert Collection’s first presence in the emirate, ahead of the Ampersand Beach House. In London, The WestDill Mayfair is expected in the first quarter of 2027, while the 33-room ExCelle Hotel San Gimignano follows in 2027. Dukes London, meanwhile, moves to another of the group’s brands, the Minor Reserve Collection.

Minor Hotels claims more than 640 hotels, resorts and residences, in operation or under development across 67 countries. While you wait for 2029, see our ranking of the best luxury hotels in Dubai.