Abu Dhabi: The Dh1.2 billion Shangri-La hotel Qaryat Al Beri project in Abu Dhabi, majority owned by the Al Jaber Group, may formally be opened upon the project's completion in December, the hotel's general manager said.
"We are aiming for December for the project's opening once everything is complete, but it's not confirmed yet," Adrian Rudin told Gulf News in an interview.
The project comprises a 214-room five-star hotel, shopping mall, six villas, spa, 161 serviced apartments and a 250-room building whose exact use hasn't been decided yet.
Tourism Development Investment Company, a unit of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, owns a 20 per cent stake in the Qaryat Al Beri Resort Development, the company that's building the project.
Shangri-La brings its brand name and expertise in the hospitality business to the Abu Dhabi project, said Rudin.
He said construction of the project began on August 17, 2005 and the hotel had a soft launch on August 12. "Currently, the average room occupancy is close to 60 per cent," said Rudin, a Swiss national.
The hotel, he said has four restaurants - Vietnamese, French, Chinese and an "all day dining" restaurant.
In addition, it has a lobby lounge, bar and pool bar and is equipped with banquet facilities.
Rudin said as a promotional offer during Ram-adan, Abu Dhabi's Shangri-La hotel is offering deluxe rooms to customers at an attractive tariff of Dh750 for an overnight stay.
The customers, in addition, will have to pay a six per cent tourism fee and 10 per cent of the applicable tariff as a service charge, which is standard for all the rooms and suites, he added.
The rack rate for the hotel's 26 suites ranges between Dh3,800 and Dh18,000. Rudin said the two proposed "top-of-the-line presidential suites", built over 400 square metres, will be ready for guests next month.
Shangri-La, the Hong Kong based chain of luxury hotels, has a management contract with the Al Jaber group for five years, which can be extended another five years by mutual agreement, said Rudin. He said it would require a minimum of three months of data to make any revenue projections for the hotel.
The hotel currently employs 580 staff and this will rise to 730 by the end of this year, said Rudin.
