MALTA based CHI Hotels & Resorts (CHI) has announced that within months of entering Abu Dhabi with the scheduled operation of its first Ramada Hotel in the Mafraq region, it has now concluded negotiations for the operation of a second in the capital city.
The technical services and operations agreement for the new Ramada Abu Dhabi Beach hotel was signed by CHI’s vice president for business development Paul Pisani and Major General Khalil Dawood Badran on behalf of the Social Security Fund of the Ministry of the Interior of the United Arab Emirates, owners of the project.
The new hotel, targeted for a 2011 opening, is being developed on a 31,000 sq m site with a 300 metre beach front, and is within a short drive from Maqta Bridge, at the entrance to Abu Dhabi city centre.
The new hotel will feature 313 guest rooms and suites on seven floors, several meeting rooms, a two storey ballroom, three restaurants, indoor and outdoor pools and a health club with gymnasium, squash courts, massage rooms, a sauna and solarium.
CHI’s chief executive officer and managing director Tony Potter said, “This new deal in Abu Dhabi, struck so closely after our first incursion in this phenomenal city, reaffirms CHI’s current and future commitment to actively grow our management operations not only in Europe, where we already have a strong presence, but most importantly in the vast African and Middle East regions.”
“These territories are not only a natural breeding ground for our Mediterranean born ‘Corinthia’ luxury brand, but also offer extensive growth opportunities for the well established Wyndham and Ramada brands, which CHI operates on an exclusive basis through its joint venture with the US based Wyndham Hotel Group.