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Rotana unveils Abu Dhabi expansion plans
Rotana Hotels, the Middle Eastern hospitality management company, has announced plans to expand its portfolio of hotels in Abu Dhabi from the three to 10 by the end of 2012.
The first of the three new five-star properties to be signed is the 400-room Khalidiya Palace Rotana Resort, due to open at the end of 2008.
The company has signed a management agreement with the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and Al-Mada Tourism Investment Company, who have teamed together to build a multi-use complex called Park Rotana Hotel & Suites. The project is due to be operational by 2008, and will comprise 550 rooms, 150 apartments and office space.
Rotana has also signed a deal to manage a luxury resort on Saadiyat Island, located 500m offshore from Abu Dhabi, which is expected to be open by the end of 2009.
The newly-launched Capital Centre – the AED8bn (US$2.17bn, £1.3bn) business and residential micro-city built around the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre – will be the site of three Rotana-managed properties, and the company has also signed an agreement with ALDAR Properties to manage a further four hotels by 2012.
Selim El Zyr, president and CEO of Rotana Hotels, said: “Abu Dhabi is a thriving cosmopolitan city and although we are not anticipating a surge of mass tourism, we hope to appeal to the more discerning tourist – someone who wants to experience something new in surroundings that are unspoilt, but with all the modern-day luxuries.
“We are working on several additional properties in Abu Dhabi, which will be announced at a later stage.”