NOVEMBER OPENING FOR WESTIN ABU DHABI GOLF RESORT & SPA
November opening for Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa - Luxury Travel Magazine
| Date: 5 September 2011 |
| By Alanna Bromley |
| The US$213.1 million Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort and Spa is to welcome its first guests in November, after originally being scheduled to open at the end of 2009. Klaus Niefer, the property’s general manager, put the delay down to a change in contractors. “It started and it stopped,” he said. Targeting the business sector as an ideal location for meetings and corporate events, the resort will also adjoin the golf course at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in a bid to become a world-class golfing destination. “The golf could be for recreational weekend business and also for business from Europe, where Abu Dhabi is really an emerging destination for European golfers to come,” Mr Niefer said. The resort will feature 172 guest rooms and six restaurants, as well as banquet facilities suitable for a variety of events. The resort’s restaurants, which will serve everything from simple snacks and coffee to more sophisticated Moroccan cuisine and contemporary meals, are expected to attract a range of guests, including residents from nearby areas like Khalifa City and Al Raha Gardens. For business guests, the resort also features conference and meeting facilities, including six different meeting spaces and will provide audiovisual equipment. The resort is also suitable for weddings and other events, with space available for outdoor functions and pre-function gatherings. The Masters Ballroom measures over 630 square metres and can seat up to 360 guests for dinner and dancing. The Westin resort is not the only hotel expected to open in Abu Dhabi this year, with the Jumeirah Etihad Towers hotel and a Park Hyatt resort anticipated to open before 2012. While occupancy levels in Abu Dhabi have recently picked up, rising to 71 per cent in July compared with 69 per cent in July last year, hotel rates have continued to decline, with rates falling by 8 per cent in the same month. Mr Niefer admitted the Westin resort was entering a highly competitive market. “You have seen a slight increase in occupancy, where the rates are challenged. I think we are in a unique situation because of the location being part of the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. There will be a certain amount of business which we will take away from other hotels,” he said. Outside the resort, Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and represents the heart of Arabic culture and history. Nearby, visitors will find the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque as well as the Yas Marina Circuit, site of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which is happening from 11-13 November this year. The ideal time to visit Abu Dhabi is between October and November or between February and March, as this is when temperatures are milder (mid-20s) and the humidity is under control. December and January have also traditionally been favourite months for tourists, but the last few winters have seen unpredictable ‘wintry’ weather that is cloudy, rainy and bleak. |