Five-star property to capitalise on location
accessibility for Dubai Healthcare City as government targets half-a-million
medical tourists by 2020; group portfolio to almost double by 2016 as pipeline
of six new properties supports regional expansion targets
UAE-headquartered hospitality company,
TIME Hotels Management, has announced the latest in a series of property
management contract deals with the signing of a new five-star hotel located
just a few minutes from the city’s medical services hub - Dubai Healthcare
City.
Part of the group’s ambitious regional
development programme, the latest announcement comes hot on the heels of news
of its first Egypt resort property in the popular Red Sea tourist destination
of Sahl Hasheesh, close to Hurghada.
The 277-room TIME Royal Hotel will
occupy a prime position off the Sheikh Rashid Road with easy access to popular
luxury retail hub, Wafi Mall, and a 10-minute drive from Dubai International
Airport.
Under development by Awtad Investment
Company the AED200 million hotel is set to open in 2016 and will offer guests a
choice of two restaurants, a coffee shop, fully-equipped gymnasium, swimming
pool, spa and 684-square metres of state-of-the-art meeting space.
“The new Wafi location will complement
our existing properties which are located at opposite ends of the city in
Barsha/TECOM and Al Qusais, and will also add much-needed room stock to the Oud
Metha area which is home to Dubai Healthcare City,” said Mohamed Awadalla, CEO,
TIME Hotels.
“Dubai plans to position the emirate
as a global medical tourism destination by 2020 with the Dubai Health Authority
(DHA) targeting 500,000 medical tourists with expected revenues of AED2.6
billion. To support this ambitious strategy it is imperative that Oud Metha’s
hospitality capacity is enhanced as the area is currently underserviced in
terms of hotel rooms,” he added.
The DHA is targeting a broad spectrum
of treatment-seeking visitors including nationals from the GCC countries and
South Asian medical tourists, which, according to Awadalla, is a fit with TIME
Hotels’ own sales and marketing strategy.
“We will also add more value to the
market with two rooms per floor at our new Wafi property specifically designed
to be handicap-accessible; which is a first for the city and a unique selling
point for the promotion of Dubai as a leading destination for medical tourism,”
he said.
The hotel will also be wheelchair
friendly with ramps sited throughout its major public areas and with adapted
elevator access.
TIME Royal Hotel’s convenient location
along one of the city’s main thoroughfares also makes it a good option for
guests needing to be within a short drive of the embassies district, Dubai’s
financial hub and major leisure attractions such as Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa
and the historic Dubai Creek.
“The addition of Wafi will boost our
collection of UAE hotels and hotel apartments to eight properties, and with a
pipeline of five further properties in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Egypt, we are on
target to reach our goal of 13 properties by 2016,” remarked Awadalla.
