Palma de Mallorca, May 07, 2015 — RIU Hotels & Resorts will add the city of Dubai to its portfolio through an agreement reached with Nakheel, one of the Middle East's major construction companies. Together they will create a new RIU Resort with 750 rooms at Deira Islands. The beach-front hotel will have a category of 4 stars and will offer the renowned RIU All Inclusive 24-hour service. It will be the first beach resort in the city of Dubai and will be one of the largest, by number of rooms.

The hotel will form part of a large-scale venture made up of four islands that will transform the district of Deira into a top tourism and entertainment site. It will include other major attractions such as a shopping mall, design towers, an amphitheatre for 30,000 people and a marina.

Luis Riu, CEO of RIU Hotels & Resorts, has stated "that undertaking this project is an extraordinary challenge and a great boost for RIU since we are starting on a new stage in a part of the world where we are not currently represented. We are very proud to be able to rely on a very experienced and prestigious partner like Nakheel to carry out this ambitious project. Dubai has become one of the great leaders of the tourist industry and we want our clients to discover it with us."

The Chairman of Nakheel, Ali Rashid Lootah, has said "Under this new partnership, Nakheel will introduce one of the world's biggest, most respected names in hospitality and an entirely new concept in hotel accommodation, the All Inclusive service, to Dubai. This is a major milestone and a significant step towards creating a new kind of family resort-style hotel accommodation in the emirate, in line with the Government of Dubai's 2021 tourism vision."

The Deira Islands will be developed by Nakheel, one of the world's most advanced companies when it comes to reclaiming land from the sea and the firm that is responsible for the Palm Islands, the three man-made islands shaped like palm trees off the coast of Dubai. Of their 40 kilometres, 21 will be on the beach front.

This alliance brings together two leading companies in their respective industries, resulting in one of the most important projects to be carried out in the emirate of Dubai over the next few years.

For further information please visit: www.riu.com