U by Emaar

What U by Emaar does

U by Emaar is a multi-tiered consumer loyalty rewards program launched in 2016 and wholly owned by Emaar Properties PJSC (DFM: EMAAR). Headquartered in Dubai, the program enables members to earn and redeem a proprietary points currency called Upoints across more than 100 participating Emaar-controlled venues spanning hotels (Armani, Address, Vida, Palace, Rove), restaurants, spas, entertainment attractions (Dubai Opera, Reel Cinemas, Dubai Ice Rink, KidZania, Dubai Aquarium), fitness venues (VEO), and select malls (Dubai Mall, Dubai Hills Mall, Dubai Marina Mall). Members are organised into four tiers — Bronze (formerly Black), Silver, Gold, and Platinum — with progression tied to either Tier Upoints or qualifying hotel nights over a 12-month window, and access the program through iOS, Android, and Huawei mobile apps plus a regional website.

The underlying technology is a standard closed-loop loyalty platform tightly coupled to Emaar's single sign-on identity system (accounts.emaar.com), supporting multi-currency earn and redemption across AED, BHD, SAR, and TRY. The program monetises through transaction-based economics on member spend at Emaar venues, interchange revenue and card fees from co-branded Emirates NBD credit cards (Family, Signature, Infinite, Visa Infinite Emirati), and a separate 2026 Visa cardholder offer that delivers exclusive discounts at participating hotels and venues. Distribution runs through Emaar's owned digital channels, in-venue onboarding, the Emirates NBD banking channel, the Visa cardholder channel, social media (Instagram, Facebook), email, and exclusive member events.

U by Emaar is not a standalone commercial enterprise in the venture-funded sense — it is an internal customer-engagement and retention asset of Emaar Properties PJSC, with no external investors, no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no publicly disclosed revenue. Its strategic function is to consolidate spend across Emaar's hospitality, entertainment, retail, and lifestyle portfolio and to deepen relationships with mass-affluent UAE consumers and regional travellers via banking co-brands.

Name

U by Emaar

Legal name

U By Emaar LLC

Website

https://ubyemaar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

U by Emaar is the wholly-owned loyalty rewards program of Emaar Properties PJSC, letting members earn and redeem Upoints across 100+ Emaar hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues, fitness clubs, and malls in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Turkey, plus co-branded Emirates NBD credit cards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Loyalty Program

NAICS

Traveler Accommodation (7211), Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Travel Subscription, Membership & Deal Clubs (THAKAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Travel & Services Membership Clubs (Ancillary Services-Led) (CRAEADAK), Rewards & Loyalty Credit Cards (FSAKABAH)

Keywords

• Loyalty rewards program
• Hospitality loyalty points
• Co-branded credit cards
• Hotel guest rewards
• Lifestyle membership program

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Loyalty Program Revenue: U by Emaar generates revenue through transaction-based fees from participating Emaar hotels, restaurants, spas, and entertainment venues. Members earn Upoints on eligible spend, and the program benefits from increased customer spend and engagement at Emaar properties.
2. Co-branded Credit Card Partnership: Partnership with Emirates NBD to issue U By Emaar co-branded credit cards (Family, Signature, Infinite, and Visa Infinite Emirati). Revenue derived from interchange fees and card spending volume.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

U by Emaar is a multi-tiered loyalty rewards programme operated by Emaar Properties PJSC that enables members to earn and redeem proprietary Upoints across 100+ participating Emaar hotels, restaurants, spas, entertainment attractions, and malls in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Turkey. The free membership program offers tiered benefits (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) spanning stay, dine, play, relax, shop, and move categories, with accelerated earning through co-branded Emirates NBD credit cards.

Product overview

U By Emaar is a multi-tiered loyalty rewards programme by Emaar Properties PJSC operating across the UAE, KSA, and Bahrain. The programme enables members to earn and redeem Upoints at over 100 participating venues spanning hotel brands (Armani Hotel Dubai, Address Hotels + Resorts, Vida Hotels and Resorts, Palace Hotels and Resorts, and Rove Hotels), Emaar Entertainment attractions (Reel Cinemas, Dubai Ice Rink, KidZania, Play DXB, Dubai Opera), Emaar Malls (Dubai Mall, Dubai Hills Mall, Dubai Marina Mall), and fitness venues (VEO by Emaar). Members access the programme via a mobile application (iOS, Android, Huawei) and co-branded Emirates NBD credit cards. The four-tier membership structure (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) provides escalating benefits across Stay, Dine, Play, Relax, Shop, and Move categories, with redemption rates of 10 Upoints = AED 1 for complimentary stays, dining, spa treatments, and entertainment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• U By Emaar Loyalty Programme A multi-tiered loyalty rewards programme that enables individual members to earn and redeem proprietary Upoints on eligible spend at participating Emaar hotels, restaurants, spas, entertainment attractions, and malls across the UAE, KSA, and Bahrain, with tiered benefits across Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels.
• U By Emaar Mobile Application A digital membership platform available on iOS, Android, and Huawei AppGallery that enables members to access digital membership cards, earn and redeem Upoints, view offers, track tier status, and manage their loyalty account.
• U By Emaar Emirates NBD Co-Branded Credit Cards Co-branded credit cards issued in partnership with Emirates NBD, including U By Emaar Family, U By Emaar Signature, U By Emaar Infinite, and U by Emaar Visa Infinite Emirati variants, offering accelerated Upoints earning on Emaar spend, welcome bonus Upoints, and automatic tier upgrades.
• U By Emaar Merchant Offers A catalogue of exclusive discounts and offers from retail, wellness, and lifestyle partners including Maple Bear Nursery, Bekky Barber, Medcare, Europcar, Rivoli Group, and others, offering member discounts across Health and Wellness, Entertainment, Fashion & Retail, Travel, Electronics, and Jewelry categories.
• U By Emaar Travel Partners (Emirates Holidays) Exclusive travel-related benefits and holiday packages offered through a partnership with Emirates Holidays, extending the loyalty programme's reach into the travel and tourism sector for U by Emaar members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 35% savings on hotel stays at participating U by Emaar hotels for Visa cardholders and Bronze tier members
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VisacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Visa cardholder benefit program offering exclusive savings of up to 35% on hotel stays at Address Hotels + Resorts and Vida Hotels & Resorts, plus up to 30% off wellness treatments and 15% off VEO fitness day passes.
• Emirates HolidaysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmirates Holidays offers exclusive travel packages and holiday experiences for U by Emaar members, extending the loyalty program's reach into the travel and tourism sector.
• Emirates NBDcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic co-branded credit card partnership where Emirates NBD issues U By Emaar Family, Signature, Infinite, and Visa Infinite Emirati cards. Cardholders earn accelerated Upoints and receive tier upgrades with annual fees ranging from free to AED 1,575.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• World of Hyatt: Hyatt's hotel loyalty program offering points, suite upgrades and tiered elite status. Comparable to U by Emaar's hotel-anchored earn model, with the same structural tension of competing for the premium traveller segment.
• SHARE by Majid Al Futtaim: Majid Al Futtaim's multi-vertical loyalty program spanning shopping (Mall of the Emirates, City Centre), VOX Cinemas, leisure and dining in the UAE and wider MENA. Direct MENA competitor offering points and tiered benefits across a comparable asset mix.
• The ENTERTAINER: MENA-headquartered lifestyle discount and membership platform offering buy-one-get-one-free benefits across dining, attractions, spa, fitness and travel in the UAE, KSA and other regional markets. Closest regional peer by business model — multi-vertical membership club monetizing partner offers across dining and entertainment.
• Marriott Bonvoy: Marriott International's flagship global hotel loyalty program. Direct competitor to U by Emaar's hotel-stay earn/redeem mechanic and tier structure, though operating at vastly greater scale and global breadth across 30+ brands.
• IHG One Rewards: InterContinental Hotels Group's unified loyalty program across luxury, premium and essentials brands. Operates the same hotel points + tier + co-branded credit card mechanic that defines U by Emaar's core product.
• Hilton Honors: Hilton's global loyalty program with tiered membership (Silver/Gold/Diamond) and points earn/redeem across hotels, dining and experiences. Closely comparable to U by Emaar's tiered structure and hotel-anchored earning, but globally distributed rather than regionally concentrated.
• ALL - Accor Live Limitless: Accor's global loyalty platform spanning luxury (Raffles, Fairmont) to lifestyle (Sofitel, Mondrian) and economy brands. Direct comparable on multi-brand hotel earn/redeem mechanics, with similar tiered status benefits and dining extensions.

Emerging players

• Etihad Guest: Etihad Airways' loyalty program, part of the airlines-for-miles MENA category. Comparable as a UAE-based points programme with hotel, dining and lifestyle redemption partners, though anchored on airline spend rather than a hospitality/real estate conglomerate.

Regional players

• Blue Rewards by Al Ghurair: UAE-based multi-vertical loyalty program anchored on Al Ghurair Centre mall and Al Ghurair Foods, extending to dining, entertainment and retail. Regional competitor serving an overlapping UAE consumer base with similar mall + dining earn mechanics.

Broad incumbents

• Miles & More: Lufthansa Group's broad-based travel loyalty programme with hotel, retail and lifestyle redemption partners across Europe and globally. Comparable as a mature multi-vertical points program with co-branded credit cards and tiered elite benefits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ubyemaar
• Instagraminstagram.com/ubyemaar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/u-by-emaar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about U by Emaar