Dubai-based master developer Nakheel is assessing 10 proposals for the construction of its new, Dh670 million ($182 million), 800-room RIU beachfront resort at Deira Islands, with the lowest bid at Dh363 million.

The all-inclusive beachfront resort – a joint venture between Nakheel and leading Spanish hospitality group RIU Hotels & Resorts – is set for delivery in 2020, with a construction contract awarded by the end of 2017.

The resort is RIU’s first in the Middle East and one of Dubai’s biggest in terms of hotel rooms. It will bring a new hospitality concept to Dubai, offering mid-scale, family-orientated, all-inclusive beachfront accommodation.

Located on a prime beachfront plot at Nakheel’s new, 15.3-sq-km Deira Islands coastal city, the resort features seven F&B outlets, three swimming pools, a fitness complex, children’s club and waterpark. Several other new attractions, including Deira Mall, Deira Islands Night Souk and Deira Boulevard, are nearby.

The joint venture is one of 17 projects in Nakheel’s Dh5 billion hospitality expansion programme, under which some 6,000 new rooms and hotel apartments will be delivered across Dubai in line with the Government of Dubai’s tourism vision for 2021.

RIU Hotels & Resorts has almost 100 hotels, with around 45,000 rooms between them, in 19 countries. Together, these welcome over four million guests a year and provide jobs for nearly 27,000 people. RIU is one of the most popular hotel chains in the Caribbean and the second largest in Spain in terms of revenue.

Nakheel has already awarded over Dh7.5 billion worth of contracts at Deira Islands, with more on the way. The waterfront city, which is expected to have a population of 250,000 and to create 80,000 jobs, will add 40km of coastline, including 21km of beach, to Dubai.

Nakheel’s master developments include Palm Jumeirah, The World, Deira Islands, Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Heights, The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Al Furjan, Warsan Village, Dragon City, International City, Jebel Ali Gardens and Nad Al Sheba.  Together, these span more than 15,000 hectares and currently provide homes for over 270,000 people. Nakheel has more than 24,000 residential units under construction or in the pipeline. – TradeArabia News Service