Nakheel, RIU Hotels to create 750-room concept for Dubai

Master developer Nakheel is to partner with Spain's RIU Hotels & Resorts, an all-inclusive hotel operator, to build a 750-room beachfront resort at Deira Islands, Nakheel 's new, 15.3 square kilometre mixed-use waterfront city in Dubai.

The parties plan to create a four-star all-inclusive concept, the first for Dubai, close to a range of forthcoming attractions at Deira Islands, including Nakheel 's Deira Mall and Deira Islands Night Souk.

Nakheel Chairman, Ali Rashid Lootah, said, "Under this new partnership, Nakheel will introduce one of the world's biggest, most respected names in hospitality and an entirely new concept in hotel accommodation to Dubai. This is a major milestone for our growing hospitality business and a significant step towards creating a new range of affordable, family resort-style hotel accommodation in the emirate, in line with the Government of Dubai's tourism vision for 2021."

RIU Hotels and Resorts has more than 100 hotels, with around 45,000 rooms between them, in 19 countries. Together, these welcome over four million guests a year and provide jobs for nearly 29,000 people. RIU is one of the most popular hotel chains in the Caribbean and the largest in Spain in terms of revenue. With 750 rooms, the planned RIU resort at Deira Islands will be one of the largest hotels in Dubai in terms of room numbers.

Luis Riu, CEO and owner of RIU Hotels and Resorts, said, "It is an honour for RIU Hotels and Resorts to partner with Nakheel, one of the world's largest real estate developers and the creator of the most important land reformation projects in Dubai. This project is our golden opportunity to bring the RIU brand to the Middle East, and, through our partnership with Nakheel, to deliver a new and unique hospitality offering in Dubai."

Nakheel 's Deira Islands coastal city will add 40 km, including 21 km of beachfront, to Dubai's coastline. The project paves the way for the development of hotels and serviced apartments, retail destinations, mixed-use buildings and residential waterside developments at what will become a new cultural, residential and commercial hub for the emirate.

Nakheel 's expanding Hospitality and Leisure division plans to build 10 hotels at various locations across Dubai, including Palm Jumeirah, Deira Islands, Dragon City and Ibn Battuta Mall over the next five years.