Dubai
The Dh136 million build contract for the second hotel at Nakheel’s Dragon City development has been won by Al Ghurair Contracting and Engineering Works. The overall project has a value of Dh176 million, which will see construction of a 304-room Premier Inn property. This is one of the 16 hotels in Nakheel’s Dh3 billion hospitality portfolio.
Premier Inn Dragon City is one of two Nakheel hotels being managed by the UK headquartered Premier Inn. The first, a 372-room hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall, opened October last. The Dragon City hotel is part of a new master plan that intends to transform the location into a “giant retail, residential and recreational complex of more than 11 million square feet”, says a Nakheel statement. The hotel, scheduled for delivery in 2019, will span 178,000 square feet in built-up area and over eight floors.
The Dragon City mixed-use complex comprises four million square feet of retail space, a twin-tower residential component (with 1,120 apartments) and two hotels with 516 rooms between them. It is currently best known for Dragon Mart — the world’s largest Chinese trading hub outside of China. The two malls pull in 40 million visitors a year.
Dragon City’s retail expansion includes a 375,000 square foot showroom facility, currently under construction.
Nakheel’s expansion of its hospitality offerings will add 5,300 rooms (including serviced apartments) in Dubai. Two are operational. Last month, the developer awarded a construction contract for a second hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall. Others are at various stages of construction.
