Abu Dhabi: Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), the master developer of cultural, residential and tourism destinations in Abu Dhabi, yesterday said it has signed an agreement with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group to manage a new luxury resort on Saadiyat Island.
The resort, scheduled to open in 2013, will be Mandarin Oriental's first venture in the Middle East.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Residences, Abu Dhabi will feature 160 guestrooms and suites, as well as 35 serviced apartments and 50 branded residences.
Mubarak Al Muhairi, managing director of TDIC, said: "We are pleased to partner with Mandarin Oriental on their first ever Middle East venture. TDIC aspires to provide unprecedented levels of luxury hospitality in Abu Dhabi, and Mandarin Oriental will further complement the distinctive leisure offerings on Saadiyat Island. This agreement demonstrates Abu Dhabi's evolution into a global tourism destination as it seeks to attract 2.3 million tourists by 2012."
Amenities
The hotel's facilities will include a spa which will introduce the group's award-winning spa concepts to a new audience, and six restaurants and bars will be available to guests.
The hotel will also feature meeting and banqueting rooms. Further leisure facilities include a private beach club, a comprehensive fitness centre and a large outdoor swimming pool. Hotel guests will enjoy preferred access to the 18-hole championship Saadiyat Beach Golf Course designed by Gary Player, which will wrap around the resort.
"We are delighted to bring Mandarin Oriental's renowned hospitality to the Middle East for the first time. We look forward to working with TDIC on creating an exceptional experience for visitors to what will become one of the most extraordinary luxury resort destinations in the region," said Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group's chief executive, Edouard Ettedgui.
Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi will be located on Saadiyat Island which is being developed in an environmentally sensitive manner and is situated 500 metres offshore from Abu Dhabi city.
Saadiyat Island will comprise 19 kilometres of white sandy beaches, two championship golf courses and a marina. In addition the island will be home to the world's largest concentration of cultural institutions, including the Zayed National Museum, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum and the Louvre Abu Dhabi which will be open in 2013.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world's most prestigious hotels, resorts and residences. Mandarin Oriental now operates, or has under development, 42 hotels representing over 10,000 rooms in 26 countries, with 17 hotels in Asia, 14 in The Americas and 11 in Europe and North Africa. In addition, the group operates, or has under development, 14 Residences at Mandarin Oriental, connected to the group's properties.
Building
The group began with the opening of its flagship property, The Mandarin, in Hong Kong in 1963, which soon built up a reputation for luxurious service. In 1974, Mandarin International Hotels Limited was formed as a hotel management company. The group's intention was to expand into Asia and operate hotels that would reflect the standard of service synonymous with their property in Hong Kong.
In 1974 the company's hotel interests expanded further through the acquisition of a 49 per cent interest in The Oriental, Bangkok. The Oriental was already a legendary property and acknowledged as one of the world's great hotels. Through the management of both The Mandarin in Hong Kong and The Oriental, Bangkok, the group was in an unusual position of having two "flagship" hotels whose names represented the best in hospitality.
In 1985, the company rationalised its corporate structure by combining these two prestigious properties under a common name, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. Mandarin Oriental International Limited is incorporated in Bermuda and listed in London, Singapore and Bermuda. The group's express aim was, and still is, to concentrate on the development and operation of deluxe and first class hotels worldwide.
