NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Worlds Tallest Hotel to Open in Dubai Without Drinks

By Adam Gonn, The Media Line news agency

The Rotana Hotels Group is set to open a 72-storey hotel in Dubai by 2010

The Saudi Arabian Rotana Hotels Group plans to open the world's tallest hotel by mid-December under its "Rayhaan" alcohol free brand in Dubai.

The Rose Rayhaan hotel, set to stand 1092 feet and with 481 rooms, will be one of the world's first major to be completely free of alcohol.

Robert O'Hanlon, a Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Partner at Deloitte in the Middle East, said the decision to make the hotel alcohol free was designed to attract more regional clients.

"Given the region and the increasing extent to which people from Saudi Arabia and other non-alcoholic jurisdictions are tending to travel it is likely that the need for such hotels will continue to grow," he told The Media Line.

"It is expected that as global demand for quality conference and hotel accommodation returns to the global agenda, Dubai, with its large inventory of quality properties, will be well positioned." O'Hanlon said. "The Middle East region continues to perform well on the global scale. Some [hotel] markets, such as Dubai, have more supply scheduled to come on stream than others, where there is currently a shortage."

Once opened the hotel will overtake the Burj al Arab as Dubai's tallest hotel. The Burj al Arab, which boasts seven stars as compared to Rose Rayhaan's four, is located on a small man-made island outside Dubai and has won numerous design awards.

Since its establishment in 1992 Rotana has steadily grown from its first property opening in Abu Dhabi. Today, the company operates 68 hotels across the Middle East and North Africa, ranging from traditional establishments in the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon to a five star hotel in Khartoum, Sudan.

Selim El Zyr, the President & CEO of Rotana, was named the most powerful hotelier in a recent regional business magazine survey.

(c) 2009. The Media Line Ltd. All Rights Reserved.