Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH) will invest Dh2.8 billion in developing hotels in Abu Dhabi, a top official said.
ADNH Chief Executive Officer Richard Riley told Gulf News that work is progressing satisfactorily in order to complete ADNH's first water resort, the Grand Canal, before the end of the year, overlooking the sea coast near the Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan mosque.
"This project includes a large hotel with 595 rooms and suites, including one hundred villas, surrounded by water channels. The resort includes 29 suites, each includes a health spa in order to preserve the privacy and comfort of our guests," Riley told Gulf News in an interview.
With an investment outlay to the tune of Dh1.5 billion, Riley said, it will be ADNH's biggest project to date.
The Grand Canal is the first project of its kind spread across the Abu Dhabi beach. It has been designed on the theme of the Italian city of Venice to make it more attractive.
"The resort includes 17 restaurants and 20 shops and at the same time The Grand Canal offers visitors a romantic experience as in Venice, which will attract millions of tourists annually," Riley said
Main market
ADNH's main market is the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
He said about 60 per cent of bookings are made by institutions and 40 per cent are family and leisure tourists.
He pointed out that the leisure tourism market in Abu Dhabi will be significant in the region.
He also pointed out that the company will offer promotional prices at the outset to attract tourists to the Grand Canal, which was designed by American architect Ocak, to become the first of its kind in the region.
"It is not just a hotel but a resort inspired by the spirit of the Italian city of Venice with beautiful stories and legends," Riley said.
Describing the company's tourism projects, Riley said, "ADNH will open the Park Hyatt Hotel on Saadiyat Island in March 2011, as part of Hyatt Hotels Group."
The company recently concluded several agreements and contracts with German, other European and global tourism agencies, to bring thousands of tourists to ADNH properties this summer and next year.
ADNH has strong partnerships with European tour operators. He said that special offers were tailored to serve the entertainment and tourism sectors in the UAE and the other GCC countries.
"One of the main objectives of the promotional campaigns put forward by ADNH at the International Tourism Bourse [ITB] — the world's biggest travel and tourism exhibition and conference — in Berlin was to revive summer tourism, which was restricted in the past to conferences and some exhibitions," Riley mentioned.
Referring to the company's success in presenting a new perspective on recreational tourism in Abu Dhabi, he said the strategy was to attract tourists all year round and not only during certain seasons.
Cooperation
Riley stressed the importance of cooperating with the Abu Dhabi tourism agency, which seeks to promote awareness of the emirate as a leading tourism destination in Germany, one of the largest tourist markets in Europe.
"Abu Dhabi had a lot to present to exhibitors and participants of the ITB, such as the Abu Dhabi Rally Race Contest, which will be launched during this year as part of the 2011 World Rally Championships qualifications, along with the second round of the Etihad Airways F1 Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit on November 14 this year."
