Nakheel releases tender for RIU beachfront resort

A joint venture between Dubai master developer Nakheel and leading Spanish hospitality group RIU Hotels & Resorts has moved a step closer with the release of a construction tender for an 800-room, beachfront resort and water park at Deira Islands.

The Dh670 million ($182 million) development – RIU’s first resort in the Middle East and one of the biggest in Dubai in terms of hotel rooms – is set for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2019, said a statement from Nakheel.

Located on a prime beachfront plot at Nakheel’s new, 15.3 sq km Deira Islands coastal city, the resort will feature seven F&B (food and beverages) outlets, three swimming pools, a fitness complex, children’s club and water park. Several new attractions, including Deira Mall, Deira Islands Night Souk and Deira Boulevard, are nearby.

The RIU resort at Deira Islands will bring a new hospitality concept to Dubai, offering mid-scale, family-orientated, all-inclusive beachfront accommodation, stated the Dubai developer.

The joint venture is one of 18 projects in Nakheel’s Dh5 billion ($1.36 billion) hospitality expansion programme, which will deliver 5,800 new hotel rooms and apartments across Dubai in line with the government’s tourism vision for 2021.

RIU Hotels & Resorts has almost 100 hotels, with around 45,000 rooms between them, in 19 countries. Together, these welcome over four million guests a year and provide jobs for nearly 27,000 people.

RIU is one of the most popular hotel chains in the Caribbean and the second largest in Spain in terms of revenue.

Nakheel has already awarded over Dh7 billion ($1.9 billion) worth of contracts at Deira Islands, with more on the way. The waterfront city, which is expected to have a population of 250,000 and to create 80,000 jobs, will add 40km of coastline, including 21km of beach, to Dubai.