Jumeirah Group, the Dubai-based luxury hotel group and member of Dubai Holding, has signed a letter of understanding with Souria Holding to manage Jumeirah Abraj Souria, a newly planned five-star hotel development located in the Baramkeh area of Central Damascus, Syria.

Jumeirah Abraj Souria will be part of Abraj Souria, a mixed use development covering 300,000m2 which will also contain commercial and retail components, including a shopping mall and an office tower. It is expected that the development will take four - five years to complete.

(Pictured: Gerald Lawless Executive Chairman of Jumeirah Group and Haytham S. Joud Chairman of Souria Holding

Jumeirah Abraj Souria will have 350 luxury guestrooms and 100 luxury serviced apartments. The hotel will also include a Talise Spa, several restaurants and extensive conference, banqueting and leisure facilities.

Once completed, Abraj Souria will re-define the luxury hotel sector in Syria and is expected to become a destination in itself as a prominent landmark for Damascus. The development is in a prime location only 2km from the Damascus old town.

Jumeirah currently operates a number of iconic properties around the world, including the Burj Al Arab. At the 2010 World Travel Awards 2010 it was voted World’s Leading Hotel (Burj Al Arab), Middle East Leading Hotel (Burj Al Arab), Middle East Leading Luxury Hotel (Burj Al Arab), Middle East Leading Luxury Resort (Al Qasr, Madinat Jumeirah), Dubai’s Leading Hotel (Burj Al Arab) and UAE’s Leading Hideaway Resort (Jumeirah Bab Al Shams).