On the southwest coast of Bahrain, where the sea meets a quiet stretch of sand, a hotel group is preparing to plant its first flag in a new kingdom. The announcement of two beachfront resorts for the third quarter of 2027 speaks to a familiar human impulse: to build places of rest and welcome where none have stood before. Set against a wider map of more than a dozen openings across continents, it reads as one chapter in an ongoing story of travel, ambition and the slow work of turning plans into doorways. Whether these promises ripen on the announced timetable is the question that only the com
Minor Hotels Plants First Flag in Bahrain With Two Beachfront Resorts Due in 2027
Two resorts, 210 rooms, and a first flag in Bahrain
Mark
Why does Bahrain stand out in a list this long?
Mimi
It's a first. Minor Hotels has no operations there today, and two resorts open together in the third quarter of 2027, adding 210 rooms.
Mark
Why two brands on one site?
Mimi
Tivoli is the heritage-meets-luxury side with 100 rooms, Avani the comfort and connectivity side with 110. Together they're pitched as one beachfront destination.
Luke
Worth saying that's the company's positioning. The list is a plan, not a set of finished buildings.
Mark
So the dates aren't guaranteed?
Luke
Right. These are scheduled quarters. Nothing in the reporting says construction status or what could shift them.
Mimi
Several are refurbishments or relaunches, like Dukes in Dubai and Dukes London, which is a different task from building new.
Mark
Is there a thread connecting the openings?
Mimi
Colbert Collection keeps appearing: Dubai, Mayfair, Samui. It looks like a brand being built out across regions.
Luke
That's a reasonable reading, but the source doesn't state it as a strategy for Colbert specifically beyond calling Dubai part of its international expansion.
Mark
And the Bahrain investment size?
Luke
Not given. No cost, no ownership details, no staffing numbers.
Der Puls
- Two Bahrain beachfront resorts with 210 rooms are slated to open in Q3 2027, marking Minor Hotels' first step into the Kingdom.
- Six countries never before touched by the group, from Croatia to Uzbekistan, are being entered in a single ambitious sweep.
- Luxury, premium and lifestyle brands are being stretched across cities, islands, mountains and safari plains at once.
- The whole pipeline hinges on hitting announced quarters, and any slip would ripple across a dozen markets.
On the southwest coast of Bahrain, where the sea meets a quiet stretch of sand, a hotel group is preparing to plant its first flag in a new kingdom. The announcement of two beachfront resorts for the third quarter of 2027 speaks to a familiar human impulse: to build places of rest and welcome where none have stood before. Set against a wider map of more than a dozen openings across continents, it reads as one chapter in an ongoing story of travel, ambition and the slow work of turning plans into doorways. Whether these promises ripen on the announced timetable is the question that only the coming seasons can answer.
On Bahrain's southwest coast, two beachfront resorts are preparing to open in the third quarter of 2027. Tivoli Bilaj Al Jazayer Bahrain Resort, with 100 rooms and suites, and Avani Bilaj Al Jazayer Bahrain Resort, with 110, are meant to work as one destination. They bring Arabian heritage, contemporary luxury, direct beach access, dining, wellness and family amenities to the Kingdom, and they mark Minor Hotels' first operations there.
Bahrain is only one thread in a much larger 2027 plan. The group will enter Croatia, Slovenia, Malta, Uzbekistan, Singapore and, for the first time in the luxury segment, the UK and US. In Dubai, Dukes The Palm becomes a Colbert Collection property, while London's WestDill Mayfair and reopened Dukes London add new character to the city. In New York, The Wolseley Hotel will occupy the former Lambs Club building.
Across Asia and Australia the slate continues, with new Avani, Colbert and NH Collection properties in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, China and Sydney, and Elewana's Ngorongoro Explorer in Tanzania. The group describes this as a push across segments, entering new markets while deepening roots in old ones. The open question is whether these doors will truly open on the dates promised.
On Bahrain's southwest coast, two beachfront resorts are scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2027. They will be the first hotels Minor Hotels has operated in the Kingdom. Tivoli Bilaj Al Jazayer Bahrain Resort will have 100 rooms and suites, and Avani Bilaj Al Jazayer Bahrain Resort will have 110, for a combined 210 added to Bahrain's hospitality sector.
The two properties are meant to work as a single beachfront destination. Tivoli is described as combining Arabian heritage with contemporary luxury, while Avani is pitched around comfort, style and connectivity. Both will have direct beach access, dining outlets, wellness facilities and family-friendly amenities.
Bahrain is one piece of a much larger 2027 pipeline. The hospitality group has laid out openings spanning luxury city hotels, island resorts, mountain retreats and safari lodges, and it will enter six countries where it has not operated before. Besides Bahrain, the new markets named are Croatia, Slovenia, Malta, Uzbekistan and Singapore. The plan also includes first moves into the UK and US luxury segments.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, Dukes The Palm Dubai Hotel is due to relaunch under the Colbert Collection brand in the third quarter of 2027. On Palm West Beach, it will have 273 hotel rooms and 287 serviced apartments, a private beach, an infinity pool and a lazy river, plus six dining venues. It will be the brand's first presence in Dubai.
In Europe, Hotel Palace Portorož in Slovenia joins the Minor Reserve Collection in the second quarter after a major refurbishment. It has 183 rooms, three restaurants, three bars, a spa and beach access. In Croatia, the 186-room Anantara Adriatic Istria Resort in Savudrija will mark the group's entry into the country, with access to the 18-hole Golf Adriatic PGA National Croatia. Malta gets its first NH Collection property, the 268-room NH Collection Sliema.
In London, WestDill Mayfair Hotel, a 50-room Grade II-listed building near Piccadilly, joins Colbert Collection in the first quarter. Dukes London reopens in the second quarter after a multi-year transformation, with 85 rooms, its Dukes Bar and a new restaurant developed with The Wolseley Hospitality Group. In New York, The Wolseley Hotel on West 44th Street will open in the second quarter with 77 rooms in the former Lambs Club building, designed by McKim, Mead & White. It will include a wellness centre, a restaurant and a private members' club.
In Asia, Avani arrives in Singapore with a 200-room hotel in Tanjong Pagar in the second quarter. Thailand gets The Rasa Samui Resort, Colbert Collection's Asian debut with 32 rooms on Chaweng Beach, and Avani Koh Phangan Resort with 63 rooms at Thong Nai Pan Noi Beach. Malaysia's Avani Kota Kinabalu has 352 rooms, and China's Anantara Xiling Snow Mountain Chengdu Resort is a 113-room alpine retreat in Sichuan.
In Tanzania, Elewana Collection will open the 84-room Ngorongoro Explorer overlooking the Ngorongoro Crater. In Australia, the 254-room NH Collection Sydney is slated for the third quarter near the city's central business district.
The group frames the slate as a push across luxury, premium and lifestyle segments, entering new markets while deepening its presence in established destinations. The thing to watch is whether these openings arrive on the quarters announced.
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