Zabeel Saray to open by end Q3 on The Palm

The highly anticipated Zabeel Saray by Rixos, a five-star resort on The Palm Jumeirah, is scheduled to open by the end of the third quarter. Once operational, it would be the second hotel on the archipelago to welcome guests after 2008's grand opening of The Atlantis The Palm.

Speaking to Emirates Business, CEO Kees Hartzuiker, said: "Zabeel Saray should open on The Palm Jumeirah by end of Q3. We are looking at an Eid opening for the property, which falls in September this year."

Located on the crescent of The Palm Jumeirah, the 410-room hotel will open three years after ground breaking, featuring an 8,000 square metre Royal spa – one of the world's largest – with 62 treatment rooms and four hammams. Beside high-end boutiques, the hotel will heavily focus on the entertainment side of hospitality with show arenas and movie theatres.

"We are very big on the entertainment aspect for our hotel and plan to introduce dinner shows and other family-oriented activities to entice our guests," he said.

Talking about the competition on The Palm, Hartzuiker said: "What competition? The only other hotel is The Atlantis and its concept is very similar to ours – the strong hospitality and family themes. I believe we can easily cater to the growing demand for a luxury resort holiday without eating into each other's market.

"Competition from other hotels on The Palm has yet to come, but I think we can safely survive in each other's space, and so much so that we are confident at the end of Zabeel Saray's first year of operations, we expect an average occupancy of 70 per cent at least," he said.

Headquartered in Turkey, the decade-old Rixos currently has 12 hotels in its global portfolio. However, Hartzuiker announced the company should expand this to 40 properties in a few years.

"The target is to achieve 40 properties by end of 2013," he said, adding: "Our focus is our home base, Turkey, but we are also bullish on emerging markets such as the Middle East, Africa, CIS countries and pockets of Asia."

Breaking down this region further, he said: "Lebanon and Syria can demand our attention as we see great potential to grow there. The UAE, especially Dubai and Abu Dhabi, are already firmly established markets."

Talking about the dwindling consumer demand for luxury hotels in wake of last year's recession, Hartzuiker said: "Luxury will not go out of style or demand. Looking at the revenue figures across our own properties, Rixos witnessed a 20 per cent revenue decline year-on-year in Q1 2009. But looking at our figures for Q1 2010, we see a 30 per cent year-on-year increase, and that is getting even stronger in the forthcoming quarters."