Leading real estate developer Nakheel’s second hotel at Dragon City in Dubai moved a step closer today with a construction contract worth Dh136 million ($37 million) handed to Al Ghurair Contracting and Engineering Works.

With a total project value of Dh176 million ($48 million), the 304-room Premier Inn is one of 16 hotels in Nakheel’s Dh3-billion ($816 million) hospitality portfolio and part of a huge new masterplan that is transforming Dragon City into a giant retail, residential and recreational complex of more than 11 million sq ft, said a statement.

Set for delivery in 2019, Premier Inn Dragon City will have a restaurant, Costa coffee shop and gym. The hotel will span 178,000 sq ft in built-up area, over eight floors.

Premier Inn Dragon City is one of two Nakheel hotels managed by the UK’s Premier Inn. The first, a 372-room hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall, opened last October.

Nakheel’s expanding Dragon City mixed-use community comprises four million sq ft of retail space, a twin-tower residential complex with 1,120 apartments and two hotels with 516 rooms between them. It is currently best known for Dragon Mart – the world’s largest Chinese trading hub outside China – featuring the globally-renowned Dragon Mart 1 and its sister mall, Dragon Mart 2, which opened in February last year. The two malls welcome 40 million visitors a year.

Dragon City’s retail expansion includes a 375,000 sq ft showroom complex, currently under construction.

Nakheel’s expansion into the hospitality industry is bringing 16 new hotels and serviced apartment complexes, with over 5,300 rooms between them, to Dubai.  Two are open and operational and last month the company awarded a construction contract for a second hotel at Ibn Battuta Mall. Others are at various stages of construction and development.

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 21,000 residential units under construction or in the pipeline.

Nakheel’s growing hospitality project portfolio comprises 16 hotels and serviced apartment developments with more than 5,300 rooms between them at various locations in Dubai, including Palm Jumeirah, Deira Islands, Ibn Battuta Mall, Jumeirah Village and Dragon City. – TradeArabia News Service