Winner: Shangri La Qaryat Al Beri Hotel, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi has long lacked a luxurious hotel development of any scale. That all changed with the construction of the Shangri La Qaryat Al Beri Hotel, a Dh1bn scheme built along a kilometre of coastline. The contractor, Al Jaber LEGT Engineering & Contracting (ALEC), built up its own subcontracting team to deal with the complex nature and incredible speed of the design-and-build development – the project went from concept to opening in under two years, with the design management team often working barely a week ahead of contractors. Hard work and rigid co-ordination by ALEC meant that the hotel was completed to the satisfaction of all involved and has become a top destination for tourists and business visitors alike.
Runners up
The Harbour Hotel & Residence, Dubai
The Harbour Hotel was Emirates Airlines' first city-centre hotel, and the project team was tasked with replicating the quality and luxury for which the airline has become famous. A signature top-floor restaurant and a top-of-the-range spa complement the 261 suites in this 52-storey building. A colourful, well-liked project, the Harbour Hotel is a quality addition to the rapidly-growing Dubai Marina.
InterContinental & Crowne Plaza, Dubai Festival City
Hotels in Dubai are attractions in their own right, and this was at the forefront of the Al Futtaim Carillion team's mind in its construction of this development in Dubai Festival City. With a design modelled on a sailing boat, the scheme is linked to the attractions of Festival City by an underground walkway. The hotel can claim to be one of the most eco-friendly in the city, linked into the district cooling system and built with low-energy materials.
Zighy Bay Six Senses Resort, Oman
None of the judges had visited this hotel, but not for lack of trying - it is booked solid several months in advance! Maybe its popularity is testament to the adoption of groundbreaking sustainable advances - the use of local materials and suppliers, water-saving technology and natural cooling sources, for example - or simply the fact that cars are banned and guests given a bicycle when they arrive. It's ethical too - a percentage of the resort's revenue is given to local environmental projects.
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