Aabar to build GCC’s first Hard Rock Hotel in Abu Dhabi
Development will include a number of restaurants, entertainment and meeting facilities, as well as 378 rooms and spa and fitness facilities, when it opens in 2014
Aabar Properties, a unit of Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments, plans to open a new hotel in the UAE capital under the Hard Rock brand, it was announced on Wednesday.
The 378-room luxury Hard Rock hotel on the corniche is designed to include a number of restaurants, including a Hard Rock Cafe. It will also have 1,115m2 of spa and fitness facilities, in addition to events and business facilities, including a 483m2 ballroom.
Scheduled to open in 2014, the developer, which is a subsidiary of Aabar Investments, said that acquiring the rights to build the hotel was part of its plan to contribute to the long term strategic development of Abu Dhabi.
“One of our key goals is to align with the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, by creating a desirable and dynamic city for modern lifestyles,” said Khalifa Al Mehairi, CEO of Aabar Properties. “Aabar Properties is committed to developing real estate opportunities that directly contribute to the long term strategic development of Abu Dhabi.”
Despite a diverse portfolio and a strong presence in Abu Dhabi, the Hard Rock Hotel is the developer’s first hospitality venture.
Michael Shindler, executive vice-president of Hard Rock Hotels, said that the development of the Abu Dhabi Hotel was an important benchmark to the overall global expansion of the brand.
“We are looking forward to collaborating with Aabar Properties to complete the design process, embarking upon the development and construction, and upon completion, extremely excited to manage the day-to-day operations of the hotel,” he said.
Abu Dhabi is aiming to attract 7.9 million hotel guests a year by 2030, up from the 2.1 million guests the emirate attracted in 2011.
