Ibn Battuta Gate spa shelved

The extensive spa planned for the upcoming Ibn Battuta Gate hotel in Dubai has been cancelled, Movenpick Hotels and Resorts (MPHR) general manager and regional manager Dubai Thomas Tapken has confirmed.

“Ibn Battuta Gate had a big spa but this is totally shelved at this present stage due to cost implications,” said Tapken.

In addition, he said that the spa planned for Oceana, The Palm Jumeirah has been downsized, from 27 treatment rooms to 12.

Tapken admitted that he thought this spa had been “oversized” originally.

However, he said that The Royal Amwaj Resort & Spa, also located on The Palm Jumeirah, would feature a destination spa and be “one of the leading spas in the city”.

“It is absolutely beautifully built — it is a free standing building in the middle of a water lagoon,” said Tapken.

Ibn Battuta Gate, Oceana and The Royal Amwaj, along with Movenpick Hotel Deira, are being developed by Seven Tides Hospitality and will be managed by MPHR.

Guests at all four hotels will be able to book treatments directly at The Royal Amwaj and Oceana spas; a benefit of the systems shared by the four hotels developed under one owner, added Tapken.