July 1 – The Rotana Hotel has opened its first property with direct beach access in Dubai at the Jumeirah Beach Residence. The hotel has 301 rooms all of which have sea views and are built in a contemporary style with Arabian influences woven throughout the common spaces. The interior design is light and in tune with its location by the sea.
The hotel has several restaurants including the Horizon (with sea views), Rosso an Italian eatery with red themes and a sushi and steak house. The Rotana Club lounge on the 25th floor affords great views over the Palm Jumeirah.
A pool deck, including a shaded one for children, offers views over the sea and soon there will be private beach as included in the original master plan.
The opening of the hotel, which is owned by an Abu Dhabi consortium, has been delayed by two years because of contractual agreements between the owner and the developer of Dubai Properties.
Omer Kaddouri, Chief Operating Officer, Rotana Hotel, said. “This is indeed a good time to open. Traditionally, beach areas have had decent business whether summer or winter occupancies is pretty good. We expect 40 percent occupancy until the end of Ramadan rising to 80 percent in the last quarter of this year,” said Kaddouri.
