Dubai: Are you looking to get the best value for your money while on holiday, where the hotel price you pay up front already includes everything, from accommodation to breakfast, lunch, dinner and anything in between?

Introducing the “all-inclusive” concept to the UAE market for the first time, Turkish hospitality chain, Rixos Hotels, is opening this month a five-star resort on the man-made Al Marjan island in Ras Al Khaimah. The 655-room hotel is Rixos’ second property in the UAE. It opened Rixos The Palm in Dubai in March 2012.

“This is our first resort in this market that offers the all-inclusive concept. This kind of offering is quite new to the region. All-inclusive means you pay once when you arrive and you don’t pay anything more during your stay. No extras,” Basak Erel, senior vice president, brand management at Rixos Hotels, said.

All-inclusive resorts promise to offer travellers the best value for money while on vacation. They are quite popular in other markets like South America, Asia, Egypt, Turkey, Spain and the Canaries, but they are uncommon in the UAE. In addition to providing room accommodation, all-inclusive rates normally cover all meals, beverage, entertainment, activities, as well as use of the beach, pool and other resort amenities.

“I haven’t heard of any UAE hotel offering such concept, although in other markets, there are certain resort chains which promote their properties in the Seychelles, Thailand, Bali and the Maldives as an all-inclusive facility. Examples would be the Sheraton, Hilton and Four Seasons,” Premjit Bangara, general manager of Sharaf Travel Services, told Gulf News.

Occupancy goal

At the 165,000-square-metre Rixos hotel in Ras Al Khaimah, the room rates will cover breakfast, brunch, lunch, snacks, dinner and supper. The price also covers daily entertainment and other resort activities like Yoga and Pilates.

The hotel is looking to achieve 60 per cent occupancy for the first year.

With the new resort, Rixos Hotels hopes to attract “city-escapers,” mainly families, from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, including holidaymakers from Russia and CIS (Communist Independent States), United Kingdom, Germany, other European countries.

“The Rixos brand is well known for this concept. The idea is to bring that to the UAE market and the Gulf region because we feel that there is a demand here,” Haytham Omar, general manager, Rixos Bab Al Bahr, said.

The luxury property will open its doors on February 15 with a starting price of Dh1,600 per room per night during week days and Dh2,000 during weekends.

“It’s indeed value for money. We want to let people feel that while they’re paying an all-inclusive rate, they get to enjoy and experience luxury,” Omar added.