Dubai’s Kerzner in global luxury homes push

Dubai’s Kerzner International will develop and sell opulent private homes around the world under its One&Only brand.

One&Only’s Wolgan Valley resort in NSW will be rebranded a nature resort.

The Dubai-government owned Kerzner International’s upmarket resort brand One&Only is spearheading a major push into the development and sale of opulent private homes around the world.

Backed by Goldman Sachs and Colony Capital, the luxury hotelier, which operates properties in Australia on Queensland’s Hayman Island and in the NSW Wolgan Valley near Sydney’s Blue Mountains, is also planning to use the latter as the benchmark for a new range of global properties branded One&Only Nature Resorts.

The first properties under this branding will open in Rwanda.

One&Only Urban Resorts is a new division and will build on the success of the operator’s only city property, Ones&Only Cape Town.

One&Only Resorts president and chief operating officer Philippe Zuber said One&Only Private Homes would be attached to luxury resorts, and had been sought after by his clientele.

Plans are advanced for private homes attached to its resorts in Mauritius, Mexico and Montenegro.

Ranging from two to six bedrooms, Mr Zuber said the cost of the villas would be based on their location.

“The homes will be branded One&Only and will be available for sale.

“This is a request from our clientele for private homes, and we understand what they want, we know how to cater to them, and to make sure the service is extended to something they own.”

He would discuss with Hayman Island’s owner, Malaysia’s Mulpha group, if there was an opportunity to develop private homes attached to the One&Only resort which is presently closed for rebuilding after Cyclone Debbie.

But there would be no opportunity for development of the private home concept in the Blue Mountains due to planning restrictions.

Mr Zuber said some private villa owners could choose to rent them out. “It gives us a further opportunity within resorts to have a larger inventory of big villas, ­clientele want to have their private space, they want to have a guarantee of services, and the confidence that the location will be superb,” he said.

One&Only will announce today that its resort in Wolgan Valley in NSW — which it has run for two years — will be rebranded a One&Only Nature Resort.

The group’s portfolio will be expanded with new Nature Resorts in Rwanda including One&Only Gorilla’s Nest and One&Only Nyungwe House set among one of Africa’s oldest forests.

Mr Zuber said that based on the success of Wolgan Valley, Kerzner International had decided to expand the concept in rare and beautiful locations.

“We will apply everything we have learnt from the management of the Wolgan Valley resort for the past two years.”

Other resorts in development include One&Only Sanya, at Hainan, China, One&Only Portonovi in Montenegro — which will be the first property for the collection in Europe — One&Only Seef in Bahrain, and two new resorts in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico — One&Only Mandarina and One&Only Santa Maria de Xala.