Ennismore and Select Group have signed The Hoxton Dubai Media City, the brand’s first hotel in the UAE and the wider Middle East, according to an Ennismore press release dated 8 September 2026.
The project sits in Dubai Media City and will extensively reimagine an existing Select Group building into a 230-room open-house hotel. Ennismore’s in-house studio, AIME Studios, is leading a multi-million-dirham redesign. What’s On reported the same conversion story on the same day and noted that no opening timeline was given. Ennismore’s signing note likewise does not state an opening year or quarter.
What The Hoxton Dubai Media City will include
Central to the announcement is the brand’s first wellness club anywhere in the world. Ennismore describes a social fitness and recovery hub with a large gym floor, movement studios, spa treatment rooms, contrast therapy facilities, a members’ lounge and Beaum, a healthy café concept. Hotel guests and the wider neighbourhood are both in the pitch.
Food and drink will be curated by Paris Society. The line-up named in the release includes Onaka, a Japanese handroll bar created with French restaurateur Moïse Sfez; Bleachers, a social sports bar; Il Bambini Club, Paris Society’s lively trattoria concept; and Tope, The Hoxton’s signature rooftop already known in Barcelona, Portland and Brussels, serving Mexican-inspired plates and cocktails. A cosy lobby for guests and locals remains part of the Hoxton formula, with cultural programming and pop-ups promised.
What’s On’s write-up matches the 230-room count, AIME redesign, first wellness club, Tope rooftop, Paris Society curation, Onaka with Sfez, and Il Bambini Club. It does not name Bleachers or Beaum. It also spells the handroll bar “Onka”; Ennismore’s PDF uses Onaka.
Select Group, Media City and the existing building
Select Group positions the hotel inside Dubai’s innovation and media corridor, near Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah and Jumeirah Lake Towers. Group CEO Israr Liaqat said wellness sits at the heart of Select’s residential and community work, and that partnering with Ennismore lets that approach land as The Hoxton’s first wellness club globally.
Background on the site: Knight Frank MENA reported in January 2025 that Select Group acquired the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City in a deal valued at more than AED 200 million, with a comprehensive refurbishment planned. Ennismore’s September note does not name the former operator; it refers to repositioning the existing building.
Louis Abboud, Ennismore’s Group Chief Growth Officer and COO for IMEAT and APAC, framed Dubai as a long-standing wish-list market and called the Media City hotel a new regional flagship, with the wellness club as a first for the brand.
Context for Dubai stays and dining
The Hoxton began in London’s Shoreditch and now counts 19 open-house hotels across the UK, Europe and the US, Ennismore says. The group already lists Middle East lifestyle markers such as Delano Dubai, 25hours One Central Dubai, Mama Shelter Dubai and SO/ Ras Al Khaimah in its regional footprint note.
For nearby travel and dining reading on tbreak, see the dnata Travel premium store at One Central, Pierre’s TT Dubai dining season, and Sips & Serenata at Cucina on Palm West Beach. For another Dubai hotel project still in works, see the Burj Al Arab restoration first look.
What next
This is a signing and redesign announcement, not an opening notice. Watch for a later Ennismore or Select Group statement with an opening window, booking page and final F&B hours. Until then, do not treat any unverified year — including online “2027” chatter without a named trade source — as confirmed.
Is The Hoxton opening in Dubai Media City?
Yes as a signed project. Ennismore and Select Group announced The Hoxton Dubai Media City on 8 September 2026 as the brand’s first hotel in the UAE and Middle East. No opening date or year is stated in the Ennismore press release or in What’s On’s same-day report.
How many rooms will The Hoxton Dubai Media City have?
230 guest rooms, according to Ennismore’s press release and What’s On.
What is new about the wellness club?
Ennismore says it is The Hoxton’s first wellness club anywhere in the world, with a gym floor, movement studios, spa treatment rooms, contrast therapy, a members’ lounge and Beaum café, aimed at hotel guests and the local community.
Which restaurants and bars are planned?
Paris Society is curating F&B. Named concepts include Onaka (handrolls with Moïse Sfez), Bleachers (social sports bar), Il Bambini Club (trattoria) and Tope (signature rooftop). What’s On also names Onaka, Il Bambini Club and Tope but not Bleachers.
When does The Hoxton Dubai Media City open?
No opening year, quarter or month is published in Ennismore’s 8 September 2026 signing release or in What’s On. Do not invent a year.
