Oetker Group to manage Saadiyat resort



The Oetker Group, best known for its Dr Oetker frozen pizzas and baking powder products, is to manage a luxury resort on Saadiyat Island.

This property will be the German group's second hotel planned for Abu Dhabi.

"We have done a memorandum of understanding … with NCT&H," said Samir Daqqaq, the Oetker Hotel Collection senior vice president for development, Middle East and Africa, referring to the National Corporation for Tourism & Hotels. NCT&H, which also owns the InterContinental hotel in Abu Dhabi, is to develop the hotel.

The resort will join eight other hotels planned for the beach district of the multibillion-dirham Saadiyat Island development, with the Mandarin Oriental and Shangri-La among the other operators signed up for the properties. The cost of building the resort is not yet known, with planning set to start early next year, Mr Daqqaq said. Saadiyat Island will eventually be home to branches of the Guggenheim and Louvre museums.

The Oetker Hotel Collection, which owns and runs Hotel Le Bristol in Paris, plans to open Le Bristol Abu Dhabi in late 2012. This property is being developed by NCT&H, based in Abu Dhabi.

"It's going to be similar to what we have in Paris," Mr Daqqaq said.

Oetker, based in Germany, is famous for its Dr Oetker brand, which manufactures food products. But Oetker Group has also developed a highly diversified portfolio spanning industries as wide-ranging as publishing, maritime transport and luxury hotels.

A number of luxury properties are expected to open in the capital next year ahead of the Oetker hotel, including a Ritz-Carlton resort, the Rocco Forte hotel, the Jumeirah Etihad Towers, a St Regis hotel on Saadiyat Island, the Westin Hotel and Spa Abu Dhabi and Eastern Mangroves Angsana Resort and Spa. This planned increase in inventory has prompted concern among some hoteliers in Abu Dhabi that there will not be enough tourists to fill rooms in the short term.

Mr Daqqaq remained confident that Oetker's hotels in the capital could withstand the competition.

"We have to be really wary of that. But we're not a chain hotel," he said. "We're not trying to compete with anybody because we truly believe that we bring a total new definition to what luxury is, regardless of what is available in the market."

Oetker is planning 10 to 15 further hotels in the Middle East, Europe and Africa in the next 10 years.

"We have a pretty conservative development plan," he said, explaining that the group believes that each of its properties is "a masterpiece". Locations the company is seriously considering in the region include Dubai, Doha, Marrakech, Cairo and Beirut.

Net profit at NCT&H fell 15 per cent in the first nine months of this year to Dh89.3 million (US$24.3m) from Dh103.3m in the same period last year.

The company cited declines in hotel performance because of new supply in the capital as the reason for the profit decline. On its website, NCT&H has announced that the InterContinental Al Ain will be managed by its own management division, Danat Hotels and Resorts, and be rebranded Danat Al Ain on January 1.

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

Charlotte Gainsbourg

Rest

(Because Music)

Stage 3 results

1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 4:42:33

2 Tadej Pocagar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:03

3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana 0:01:30

4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ

5 Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe         

6 Diego Ulissi (ITA) UAE Team Emirates  0:01:56

General Classification after Stage 3:

1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 12:30:02

2 Tadej Pocagar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:07

3  Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana 0:01:35

4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:40

5  Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe

6 Wilco Kelderman (NED) Team Sunweb)  0:02:06

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

The Bio

Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village

What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft

Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans

Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface

Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs

Engine: 5-litre V8

Gearbox: eight-speed automatic

Power: 420hp

Torque: 505Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km

Price: Dh260,500

TWISTERS

Director: Lee Isaac Chung

Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos

Rating: 2.5/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Company%20Profile
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Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars

Despacito's dominance in numbers

Released: 2017

Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon

Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube

Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification

Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.

Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards

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ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures

October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA


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