Dubai master developer Nakheel today (April 24) broke ground on a new, 375-room hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall, with a total project value of Dh240 million ($65.3 million).

The ground-breaking ceremony – Nakheel’s second in a week – was led by chairman Ali Rashid Lootah and comes a month after the company handed a construction contract worth Dh184.5 million to Dubai-based Parkway International Contracting to build the hotel, which will be operated by Thailand’s Minor Hotel Group under the Avani brand.

Set for delivery in 2019, the Avani is the second Nakheel hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall and one of 18 in the company’s growing hospitality project portfolio. Nakheel is investing Dh5 billion in the sector, bringing over 5,800 rooms and serviced apartments to Dubai in line with the government’s 2021 vision.

“Today is yet another major milestone for our hospitality business that highlights our commitment to Vision 2021, further reinforces our position as a leading player in Dubai’s ever-diversifying hospitality sector and cements our partnership with Minor Hotel Group,” said Lootah.

“The Avani is an exciting enhancement to Ibn Battuta Mall and a shining example of our quest to bring new, quality, international hotel brands to the emirate.”

Today’s ground-breaking ceremony comes a week after construction began at Nakheel’s Dh176 million, 304-room Premier Inn hotel at Dragon City.

Located next to the new link connecting Ibn Battuta Mall with the Dubai Metro, the Avani has a built-up area of 278,000 sq ft across 15 floors, and features an all-day restaurant, pool, gym and car park for 135 vehicles. It complements Nakheel’s first hotel at Ibn Battuta – a 372-room Premier Inn – which opened last October.

The Avani is a key component of a large-scale, phased expansion at Ibn Battuta that will turn the highly-popular retail hub into a sprawling mixed-use community with 2.2 million sq ft of shop space, 810 apartments and 747 hotel rooms.

Nakheel’s 18-strong hospitality portfolio includes hotels and serviced apartment buildings – from luxury to more modest accommodation – across Dubai. Two are already operational, with the rest at various stages of construction and development. – TradeArabia News Service