THE four-star Mafraq Hotel, in the heart of the rapidly growing Abu Dhabi area of Mafraq, will open its doors in November after a two-year re build project which has transformed the property.
Originally launched in 1996 the hotel was named for the Arabic word Mafraq which means intersection or crossroads reflecting its strategic location.
Purchased by The National Investor (TNI) in 2007, Mafraq Hotel has taken on a new lease of life with the owner’s decision to carry out a $50-million complete overhaul of the property.
The project has taken the 121-room hotel to 250 rooms, with every room newly designed.
Hospitality concept specialists were brought on board to carefully design and create five new food and beverage outlets, to establish the hotel on the local scene with all outlets managed in-house.
And TNI opted to bring the management of the property in-house in order to establish the Mafraq brand. The company’s vice president of real estate Rob Rowell explained the bold decision saying: “Being TNI’s first major foray into the hospitality sector, we were tempted to lean on established brands to manage the operations. However, after careful consideration and the establishment of our own track record in operations, we decided to continue to leverage the Mafraq name to highlight the uniqueness of the property and strengthen its own independent brand.”
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The 250-room property incorporates clean lines and dark wood, coupled with light marble and sunlit spaces. The new layout creates a 5,000-sq-m green courtyard around the large pool and divides the building into different wings. TNI is striving to ensure the hotel makes the best use of space and creates the right balance between modern luxuries and an accessible ambience.
The food and beverage outlets are made up of the Burlington Grill, the hotel’s signature grill restaurant, The Olive Branch, the fresh Mediterranean all-day buffet, and social venues including Hunters B&R, featuring international fare, the Asian fusion-themed Rimal and the Courtyard Oasis by the pool.
Meeting and banquet facilities have been built in a dedicated wing of the property, including a private entrance to the 250-person Baniyas Ballroom, two additional meeting rooms and an executive lounge.
The hotel also boasts a fully equipped fitness zone including a gymnasium, adult and children’s swimming pool, massage facilities, children’s playground, grooming salons and a racket club including tennis, badminton, and squash courts.
To accompany the new building, Mafraq Hotel has been rebranded. Rowell explains: “While creating a new brand, we have retained our rights to the name of the hotel as it shares the name of the local area. In a sense the operational product is the intersection of old and new, from a revamped marketing approach to our loyal and valued client base right through to the new values and service standards of our dedicated operational team.”