Raine & Horne has launched a holiday rental business in Dubai, becoming the only Australian property firm with a vacations business in the UAE.
Launched in January, Raine & Horne Holiday Homes is led by co-principals Shine Sunny and Sanjay Chimnani.
“Between Sanjay and Shine, Raine & Horne Holiday Homes has real estate, hospitality, marketing and PR experience, and this is an exciting venture that will support the financial goals of owners in Dubai and the short-stay needs of leisure and business visitors to the emirate,” said Angus Raine, Executive Chairman, Raine & Horne.
“Australia is an important market for Raine & Horne Holiday Homes. Qantas and Emirates fly over 90 times a week from Dubai to Australia.”
Etihad and Virgin, Qatar and Gulf airlines also offer a significant number of flights between Australia and Dubai.
“Dubai is a perfect stopover from Australia to destinations across Europe. Therefore, we will be tapping into the hundreds of offices in our Australian network to promote the holiday lettings available in the emirate through Raine & Horne Holiday Homes,” said Mr Raine.
Ms Shine said: “Raine & Horne Holiday Homes will seek to collaborate with the likes of Austrade and Victoria Invest, as we are the only Australian company in Dubai offering vacation rentals.
“We will also be aggressively targeting the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the Indian sub-continent markets.”
Raine & Horne Holiday Homes has launched with an experienced team of letting managers and support staff and properties will be listed at rhvacations.ae.
“We are specialising in the marketing and management of one and two-bed apartments, and we already have a number of luxurious apartments available to let.
“Depending on the location, views and seasonality, a one-bed apartment in Downtown Dubai with Burj views, are priced at AED 950 ($A339) a night,” said Ms Sunny.
“All the properties showcased in our portfolio are conveniently located in Dubai’s popular locations such as Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Beach Residences, DIFC and Downtown Dubai, and are meticulously presented and fully self-contained for our guests’ convenience.
“We only choose holiday properties that are close to public transport and have amenities such as supermarkets, pharmacies and tourist attractions nearby.
“We have a dedicated customer service manager, personal greet and meet services and 24×7 accessibility should guests need us. This gold standard customer experience, focusing on quality and service, will set Raine & Horne Holidays apart.”
Raine & Horne Dubai has successfully operated a residential and commercial sales and rental division since it launched three years ago. The company also represents Lemon Tree, India’s largest chain of midscale and economy hotels, in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
“The holiday letting business combines our real estate and hospitality strengths, therefore it is a natural progression for expanding the business,” said Ms Shine.
“We started Raine & Horne Holiday Homes due to demand from past and prospective clients who were seeking a more proactive approach to the management of their investment properties in Dubai,” she said.
“Our aim is to nurture and grow our owners’ holiday investments, to maximise their returns and offer a 5-star property management service.
“We are harnessing the power global software solutions such as Lodgify for reservations, Outswitch for revenue management and innovative marketing techniques harnessing the promotional powers of social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to focus on increasing property returns.
“Owners have the ability to check bookings online, rates and tariffs, and to receive clear and concise monthly statements making the entire process transparent and effective.”
Mr Chimnani said the impact of the holiday home market in Dubai has affected leisure-oriented hotels, hotels with fewer facilities and hotels without international operators.
“Holiday homes have become popular not just with tourists and business travellers but with expats unable, or unwilling, to pay a year’s rent in advance, which is the norm in Dubai,” said Mr Chimnani.
“Long stay guests who utilise holiday homes tend to seek out the facilities such as regular housekeeping and are often unwilling to commit to traditional annual rental contracts seen in the residential sector.
“Individuals involved in project work that takes them out of the emirate for months at a time, are often attracted to the holiday home rental structure when they return to Dubai.”
