Al-Habtoor City to host 3,000 hotel and residential units

Al Habtoor City, claimed to be the world’s biggest residential and hospitality development under construction, was unveiled at a ceremony in Dubai.
“Al-Habtoor City will incorporate more than 3,000 hotel and residential units on one plot,” Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor, chairman of the Al-Habtoor Group, said during the unveiling ceremony.
“I want to say that our project will prove that Dubai is the only place in the world to invest,” said Al-Habtoor.
“Al-Habtoor City is truly a breathtaking project. It will help boost the economy, provide thousands of jobs and will set a benchmark for future projects of its kind,” said Al-Habtoor.
The event was held at the Al-Habtoor City construction site, where the iconic Metropolitan Hotel once stood.
It was attended by many dignitaries from the UAE and around the world, including Sheikh Nayahan bin Mubarak Al-Nayahan, minister of culture, youth and community development; Robert Waller,US consular general in Dubai; Eric Giraud-Telme, French consul general in Dubai; Klaus Ranner, consul general in Dubai at Foreign Office of Germany; Ralf Schroeer, deputy chief of mission-charge d’affaires at the Embassy of Germany in Abu Dhabi; Zoltan Jansci, Hungarian ambassador to the UAE; Roman Golovchenko, ambassador of Belarus to the UAE; and Igor Bondarev, counselor for political, security and military affairs at Belarus Embassy in the UAE.
The guests also included Imad Adnan Al-Madani, consul general of Saudi Arabia to Dubai, and Tarek Khaled Al-Hamad, consul general of Kuwait in Dubai.
Al-Habtoor said Al-Habtoor City would be a new landmark for Dubai.
“Today I stand here to make this announcement due to the vision, leadership and support of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. The encouragement of Sheikh Mohammed, his hard work and leadership inspire me and give me the fuel to announce this project.”
He said: “Al-Habtoor City is a dream which became a reality due to the cooperation of different government departments.”
Al Habtoor said said: “The UAE continues to grow because of our leader and citizens jointly working together.”
On average, 20,000 visitors are expected to visit Al-Habtoor City every day, up to 7.3 million visitors a year.
The world-class city will help Dubai compete with destinations such as New York, London, Paris and Hong Kong.
Located in a prime location, overlooking the Burj Khalifa in the Business Bay area and near the Dubai International Financial Center, the cutting-edge development will be unique to the UAE offering top-rated hotels, which will add more than 1,600 rooms to the city.
In addition there will also be a spectacular water-themed theater for a permanent production by Franco Dragone, world-famous theatrical director.
Al-Habtoor City has the added benefit of being on the banks of the Dubai Water Canal — soon to be the newest tourist location.
“The Al-Habtoor Group is pleased to announced the latest addition to this stunning mega project — three residential towers for exclusive and contemporary living, taking the total investment in the entire project to AED11 billion ($3 billion).
Al-Habtoor City is a very unique project,” said Al-Habtoor.
“The 10 million square foot development on approximately a million square foot plot will feature three world-class hotel brands from Starwood, including the first St. Regis in Dubai. Plus, it will have the added attraction of spectacular entertainment.
It will combine ultra-luxury hotel living with 5-star residential ambiance.”
The group has commissioned leading British architects WS Atkins for the development of the residential blocks.
It has also appointed Knight Frank to provide retail consultancy expertise for the podium under the residential towers, and Asteco Real Estate Services will manage and lease the towers and retail outlets.