The royal suites come with private hot tubs. Photo: Orchid Overnight Superyacht
The royal suites come with private hot tubs. Photo: Orchid Overnight Superyacht
The royal suites come with private hot tubs. Photo: Orchid Overnight Superyacht
The royal suites come with private hot tubs. Photo: Orchid Overnight Superyacht

Lifestyle

Travel

Abu Dhabi's first floating holiday home opens at Yas Marina

Five-star Orchid Overnight Superyacht offers 31 rooms

Evelyn Lau
Evelyn Lau

September 23, 2025

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Yas Marina has unveiled what it describes as Abu Dhabi’s first floating holiday home with the arrival of the Orchid Overnight Superyacht.

Docked at the marina and operated by Dutch Oriental, the vessel offers guests a luxury stay on the water. Bookings are now open.

The five-star superyacht is made up of 31 rooms, including 24 superior rooms measuring 25 square metres with king or twin beds and private bathrooms; four 30-square-metre VIP rooms with en suite bathrooms; and three 60-square-metre royal suites complete with a living area, sofa bed, hot tub and shower.

Prices start at Dh990 per night. Guests will also have access to 24-hour concierge and housekeeping, smart room automation and a 360-degree sun deck.

Jassim Albastaki, general manager at Yas Asset Management, said: “The launch of Orchid Overnight marks a bold new chapter in Abu Dhabi’s hospitality scene, and we’re proud to host it at Yas Marina. Combining the elegance and exclusivity of a superyacht with the comfort of a luxury hotel, it offers a truly one-of-a-kind experience.”

Guests get 24-hour concierge and housekeeping, smart room automation and a 360-degree sun deck. Photo: Orchid Overnight Superyacht
Guests get 24-hour concierge and housekeeping, smart room automation and a 360-degree sun deck. Photo: Orchid Overnight Superyacht

Swapnil Patrikar, general manager for hospitality and business development at Dutch Oriental Megayachts, added: “Choosing Yas Marina was a natural decision. It offers facilities that cater seamlessly to the needs of our guests, while its prime location makes it easily accessible for visitors from both Abu Dhabi and Dubai.”

Dining options on board include full board packages, 24-hour in-room service and chef-curated menus. Sundowner and dinner cruises are scheduled to begin in October. The yacht is also available for private hire, from weddings and corporate events to full buyouts of all 31 rooms and suites.

The Orchid Overnight joins other floating hospitality projects in the UAE, such as Dubai’s Queen Elizabeth 2 hotel, with further concepts including the Kempinski Floating Palace currently under development.

How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Updated: September 30, 2025, 9:50 AM