The Ajman-based R Hotels plans to invest Dh150 million on a mid-market hotel as the emirate seeks to draw 5 million tourists a year by 2021.
Construction on the 182-room property, located alongside Ramada Beach Hotel Ajman, is expected to start this quarter.
It is set to open in the first quarter of 2017.
“The real estate sector is getting busy with the Ajman City Centre mall expanding and areas near Hamriya Free Zone getting developed,” said Iftikhar Hamdani, the vice president for acquisition and development at R Hotels and general manager of Ramada Ajman hotels.
“The corniche projects are coming along fast and there is confidence in the market.” In May, Majid Al Futtaim Investments said it would invest Dh500m to expand Ajman City Centre by 51,000 square metres.
Construction work is expected to start towards the end of next year and end in 2017.
“We kept around 80 per cent occupancy rate during Ramadan and we run out of rooms during the October to May period,” said Mr Hamdani.
“There is a constant demand from the tour operators and it was clear we needed another property in Ajman.”
Work on several property projects in Ajman slowed during the global financial crisis but has recently picked up pace.
That includes the Ajman Marina project that was announced in 2007. The Dh100m project was completed last year, according to the Department of Municipality and Planning.
In May, Ajman’s tourism department said it was aiming to attract 5 million tourists a year by 2021.
The total number of guests who checked into the emirate’s hotels and hotel apartments last year was 850,000.
The new R Hotels property would join Ajman’s two mid-market properties, both by R Hotels, and four luxury properties.
There are nine one and two-star hotels in the emirate.
Oberoi, an Indian hotel operator, and the Mauritius-based Lux Resorts & Hotels group are expected to open hotels in Al Zorah in the next two years.
The area is run by the master developer Solidere International.
“[Ajman Tourism Development Department] has been actively tapping different markets like China, and our hotels are also beefing up our nationality mix with arrivals from Turkey, Germany, Oman and Eastern Europe,” said Sumair Tariq, the managing director of R Hotels.
“We are expecting higher room demands in the next couple of years, as confirmed by the opening and announcements of new hotels in Ajman.”
Tourists from the Middle East, excluding those from the UAE and the Arabian Gulf, form Ajman’s largest source market, followed by Russia and the CIS states last year, according to the department.
Although traffic congestion is among the top challenges for Ajman's tourism sector, the emirate has signed a deal with Whitelake Consortium to develop an airport in its Al Manama enclave, 52 kilometres east of Ajman city.
The Dh2.1 billion Ajman International Airport is expected to be completed in 2018, and it will be capable of handling more than 2 million passengers a year.
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
WWE Evolution results
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
The biog
DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
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Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
Company%20Profile
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How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
