Symphony Global LLC is, in Luxury Travel Advisor's words, "the private investment vehicle of Dubai real estate tycoon Mohamed Alabbar", founder of Emaar Properties (LHL-P-078; LHL-468). Luxury Tribune calls it privately held, working in real estate, hospitality, retail and luxury services, and adds: "Although its financial data is not public." AGBI describes it as Alabbar's private investment office, separate from Emaar and from his international developer, Eagle Hills. [1,2,3]
The Armani Joint Venture
The Giorgio Armani Group and Symphony Global formed a joint venture with "worldwide exclusivity for the development of future Armani Hotels & Resorts", as Travel Weekly put it on 14 January 2026. The term is twenty years, renewable for ten, a figure several reports attribute to the Italian agency ANSA. The venture is based in Milan and Dubai. Armani keeps a hand in architecture, interiors, furnishings, materials, lighting and service standards. Hotel Investment Today adds branded residences to the scope, in "select global destinations". [1,2,4,5,6]
Two Kinds Of Hotel
Two lines are planned. The first continues the existing Armani Hotel, as at Dubai, opened in 2010 in the Burj Khalifa, and Milan, opened in 2011 on Via Manzoni. The second is a lifestyle concept for younger travellers; Luxury Tribune says "lifestyle managers" will act as "an essential link between customers and the establishment". AGBI notes that Symphony will develop the hotels but not operate them, and may own them and hire an operator. [2,3,4]
What Came Before
Emaar partnered with Armani in 2004, on AGBI's account, on a plan for fourteen hotels in Dubai, Milan, Tokyo, New York and Paris; only Dubai and Milan opened, and in 2015 Emaar put a third on hold. Emaar owns and operates both. The new venture moves future rights from Emaar to Alabbar's own office (LHL-003). It follows Giorgio Armani's death on 4 September 2025, at 91, reported by Modaes. The next Armani hotel announced is at Diriyah Gate, Riyadh, due in 2027; it is not open. Alabbar's earlier ventures include a joint venture with Yoox Net-A-Porter, reported by FashionUnited on 28 November 2016. [3,7,8,9]
Editorial note — ⚑ The date differs: Luxury Tribune, publishing on 12 January 2026, says Armani "confirmed the deal on Friday, January 9"; Enterprise and 9colonne report it on 12 January. ⚑ The target regions for the lifestyle line differ: Luxury Travel Advisor says "likely the Americas and Asia", its own guess; 9colonne says the Middle East and Asia; Travel Weekly says only "emerging markets". ⚑ Enterprise writes that Symphony "previously partnered" with Armani on the first Dubai hotel; AGBI gives Emaar as owner and operator. Both are recorded. ⚑ AGBI says it is unclear why the rights went to Alabbar rather than Emaar. ⚑ No founding year for Symphony Global was found.
Sources & Further Reading
What the entry rests on. Each reference is the card's own, published as the master cited it.