New beach resort and water park to sit at heart of Dubai's new islands

The National -- A major hotel and beach resort for Dubai's Deira Islands has been unveiled as work progresses on one of the largest developments of its kind.

Developer Nakheel and Thai hotel group Centara Hotels and Resorts on Monday said they had official formed a joint venture company, signed a management agreement, and unveiled the first images of the new resort.

The joint venture, cemented by Nakheel Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah and Centara Chairman of the Board, Suthikiati Chirathivat, at a signing ceremony at Centara’s headquarters in Bangkok, will deliver a "family-centric lifestyle destination" at Deira Islands, the new, 15 sq km waterfront city.

The resort will be managed by Centara, whose portfolio already includes over 14,000 rooms across 67 hotels and resorts in Asia, Indian Ocean and the Middle East.

"Today’s crucial milestone allows us to move forward with the construction and delivery of this exciting new resort, which will undoubtedly be one of Dubai’s most sought-after destinations for travellers the world over," said Mr Lootah.

Mr Chirativat said the agreement is the "rubber stamp that paves the way for the finalisation of the design and development of our first resort in the United Arab Emirates".

Work on the first resort, an 800-room, Dh670 million beachfront resort with Spain’s RIU Hotels & Resorts, is already underway with construction proposals currently being assessed, Nakheel said.

Deira Islands will add 40 km, including 21km of beach, to Dubai’s coastline.