Mandarin Oriental to open Middle East property

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will manage a new luxury resort and branded residences on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi.

The property, which is being developed by Abu Dhabi-based Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), is scheduled to open in 2013 and will be Mandarin Oriental’s first foray into the region.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group group chief executive Edouard Ettedgui said the company was delighted to enter the Middle East.

“We look forward to working with TDIC on creating an exceptional experience for visitors to what will become one of the most extraordinary luxury resort destinations in the Middle East," Ettedgui added.

Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi will feature 160 guestrooms and suites, as well as 35 serviced apartments and 50 branded Residences.

Other facilities will include a spa, six restaurants and bars, plus extensive meeting and banqueting rooms.

Further leisure facilities include a private beach club, a fitness centre and a large outdoor swimming pool. Hotel guests will also enjoy preferred access to 18-hole championship Saadiyat Beach Golf Course designed by Gary Player, which will wrap around the resort.

Saadiyat Island will comprise 19 kilometres of white sandy beaches, two championship golf courses and a marina.

In addition the island will be home to the world's largest concentration of cultural institutions, including the, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Zayed National Museum, all of which are scheduled be open in 2013.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group operates, or has under development, 42 hotels representing more than 10,000 rooms in 26 countries, with 17 hotels in Asia, 14 in The Americas and 11 in Europe and North Africa.