Habtoor Leighton Group (HLG) has been awarded an AED1.9 billion contract by the Al Habtoor Group as part of the AED4.875 billion Habtoor Palace Hotel development in Dubai
Under the agreement, HLG will be responsible for the construction of what will become the largest integrated hotel complex in the Middle East, comprising a five-level podium, one 36-storey tower and one 25-storey tower within a total gross floor area (GFA) of 350,000 square metres.
The landmark development will include:
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1,600 hotel rooms, spread between three hotels (lifestyle, luxury and main)
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An iconic Las Vegas-style ‘aqua’ theatre
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A French provincial-inspired garden
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Food and beverage venues
The new development will be located on the site of the existing Metropolitan Hotel - Dubai’s oldest hotel – on Sheikh Zayed Road at the southernmost point of the ‘Old Town’ development, which includes the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall.
Design for the development commenced on January 1 2012. Demolition of the existing Metropolitan is scheduled to commence at the end of March with early works likely to begin in June 2012.
The development is scheduled for completion on the second half of 2016. HLG CEO and Managing Director, Laurie Voyer, said he was delighted to have reached agreement with the Al Habtoor Group on such a large-scale project.
“We have successfully completed a number of projects for the Al Habtoor Group in the past – including the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa and the Metropolitan Palace Hotel - and have always maintained a good working relationship with them.
“We look forward to working with them again to create a development that will be a landmark for not only Dubai, but the entire Middle East.
“Our team has spent the better part of six months working with the team from the Al Habtoor Group to finalise the contract for this prestigious project,” he said.
HLG has constructed many of Dubai’s most well-known hotels, including the 7-star Burj Al Arab, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the Dubai Shangri-la Hotel and the Madinat Jumeirah.
Mr Voyer said that the company continues to pursue its strategy of diversification. “We a re cont inuing our push into new geog raphies such a s Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
“While the Habtoor Palace is a Dubai building project, our future growth will come from major infrastructure projects in markets outside the UAE, particularly Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” he said.