Meridien hotel reborn as expanded, luxury resort

Dubai's second-largest hotel was officially opened by Sheikh Hasher Maktoum, Dubai Director of Information, in the presence of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of Emirates, and over 500 guests last night.
The rebranded Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort and Spa, formally known as Le Meridien Jumeirah Beach, has added a new tower with 154 rooms and other facilities at a cost of Dh100 million. Planning and construction were underway for nearly two years.
The hotel has been granted Le Royal flagship status, the highest tier of Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts, which operates only nine other properties worldwide with this designation.
General Manager Pam Wilby said, "With the second-largest room count of any hotel in Dubai, we can now cater to the needs of both leisure and business travellers.
"We have added more than 240 extra staff to ensure we can take care of every need of our guests, along with opening a new spa and three restaurants, giving us an extensive range of resort facilities."
The 500-room hotel now has 206 deluxe rooms, 30 deluxe suites, one presidential suite and one royal apartment in the main hotel building, along with 22 suites and two royal suites in the tower.
Anna Ortega, marketing and public relations manager, said, "The three new restaurants include a new jazz bar, Satchmo's, the Prime Rib steakhouse and Fusion, which serves Thai, Indonesian and Malay cuisine.
"The brand new Caracalla Spa and Health Club is open to membership for outsiders, which is Dh9,000 for a couple annually."