Dubai: Conrad Hotels and Resorts, a Hilton Worldwide brand, officially opened the first Conrad property in the UAE on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai on Wednesday.

The 58-storey Conrad Dubai features 555 rooms, six restaurants, meeting rooms, and fitness and spa facilities. It is built over an area of 59,800 sq/ft. At a meeting with the media, Mario Ferraro, general manager of Conrad Dubai said now is “the right moment to open” the property as the local tourism sector grows.

It has taken five years to build the property, he said.

Guests will be offered special opening rates, as well as room packages, according to Ferraro. The hotel aims to attract visitors from Europe and the GCC where there is “a strong opportunity for the leisure market,” he said. The hotel also targets both the leisure and corporate markets, he said.

Ferraro told Gulf News that a Conrad property is expected to open in Makkah, Saudi Arabia by early 2015.

The Conrad Dubai is the second property of the same brand in the region, after Conrad Cairo.