Plans forge ahead for Dubai Dragon Mart hotel

Kele Contracting announced on Monday that it has been awarded the contract to build a hotel next to Nakheel's Dragon Mart complex in Dubai.

The three-star hotel will be part of the AED 1 billion (US $272 million), 177,000 square metre Dragon Mart Phase 2 development, which will also include a nine-screen cinema and a 10,000 square metre development from French hypermarket chain Geant.

Andrew Elias, CEO of Kele Contracting, said: "We are very pleased to be awarded the contract to construct the Dragon Mart Hotel, which forms an excellent addition to our extensive portfolio of projects."

The nine storey three-star hotel, which will cover an 8,500 square metre area, will include around 240 rooms and is scheduled to be completed in 13 months, he added.

During the development of the hotel, Kele will be responsible for the full scope of the work on the project and delivering the project.

Rebecca Rees, a spokeswoman for Nakheel told Hotelier Middle East: “Several hotel groups have expressed their interest in the Dragon Mart hotel. We are currently exploring our options for the leasing and operation of the hotel.”
The completion of Phase 2 will bring the total size of the Dragon Mart complex to 335,000 sq m.

Kele said it currently has several construction projects underway in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Bahrain.

Last August, Nakheel said it planned to more than double the size of the Dragon Mart Mall, which at 1.2km long already makes it the largest trading centre for Chinese products outside mainland China.