The Ocean View Hotel is the first to open under JA Resorts & Hotels' new brand guide. The Ocean View Hotel is the first to open under JA Resorts & Hotels' new brand guide.

The property forms part of The Walk JBR’s original master plan which incorporated four hotels.

The neighbouring hotels include Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach at the far end of the beach stretch, The Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach and Amwaj Rotana — Jumeirah Beach Residence, located next door to the final of the four, Ocean View Hotel, due to open in January 2013.

“It was always built as a hotel but was never actually opened, so we purchased it in the final stages [of construction] and started to rip the guts out,” explains Harley-Fleming.

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JA Resorts & Hotels is owned by Dubai-based Dutco Group of Companies which includes Dutco Construction LLC, boding well for the transformation of The Walk’s “ugly duckling” hotel. More than 800 contractors were on site when Hotelier Middle East visited the property towards the end of November.

“Our owners are extremely supportive. Our parent company Dutco has been around since 1947 and construction is its forte. So we went into this hotel with a fresh approach.
We’ve employed a very good architect — Woods Bagot out of Australia, they most recently completed St. Regis on Saadiyat Island,” he explains.

“Before it had a reception counter, the rooms had headboards, the wallpaper was done, the bathrooms were finished; we could have just put the beds in, but we’ve gone in and ripped out the wallpaper, the headboards and refurbished it in line with the new brand standards of JA Resorts & Hotels,” he continues.

“The impression of the building was as the ugly duckling in the area and now it’s an absolutely stunning property.”

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