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Major UAE-basedconglomerate AlHabtoor Grouprecently took theDubai real estate

market by storm by announc-ing the launch of three megaworth over Dhs2 billion. At apress conference in Decem-

ber organised at the HabtoorGrand Beach Resort & Spa,Al Habtoor Group’s own 5-star luxury hotel in Dubai Ma-rina, the Group unveiled itsambitious ventures, namely:Al Habtoor Polo Resort &Club, the MetropolitanSheikh Zayed Road hoteland Oasis Villas.

Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor,Founder and Chairman ofthe Group, stated that con-struction work is already un-

derway for the three large-scale projects in Dubai,which are expected to be op-erational within the next twoyears. While the Al HabtoorPolo Resort & Club, is ex-pected to cost Dhs993 mil-lion, the Metropolitan SheikhZayed Road hotel and theOasis Villas, combinedwould cost Dhs1.02 billion,the consortium revealed.

“I am delighted to be un-veiling the plans for these

magnificent projects, whichwill be major new landmarksin Dubai and play a key partin delivering continuedgrowth both for the UAE andfor ourselves,” Khalaf AlHabtoor said. “As our com-pany motto states, ‘we aregrowing with the UAE’, andits economic fundamentalssupport this vision. We havebeen in business close to 45years and with projects suchas these being added to our

Al Habtoor announcesprojects worth Dhs2bnBy Indrajit SenSenior Reporter

Al Habtoor announcesprojects worth Dhs2bn

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amenities that Dubailand of-fers, including seven themezones that will include themeparks, sports venues, eco-tourism, health facilities anda resort. The resort will bedesigned by well-knownBritish architects WS Atkins& Partners.

Al Habtoor Polo Resort &Club will also be home tofour world-class polo fields,which will help reinforceDubai’s role on the worldpolo circuit. The Polo Acad-emy will offer riders of allages and ability with a widerange of riding disciplines in-cluding dressage, riding andshow jumping.

Mohammed Al Habtoor,Vice-Chairman and CEOsaid, “The new Al HabtoorPolo Resort & Club will be awonderful addition to therange of world class facilitiesthat both visitors and resi-

portfolio, there is no reasonwhy the next 45 years shouldnot see us enjoy evengreater success.”

A destinationfor polo loversAl Habtoor Polo Resort &Club is slated to be a megaluxury development that willcomprise 162 luxury bunga-lows, and will include a five-star hotel with up to 136keys. In addition, there willbe a polo club, a state-of-the-art polo academy, and a rid-ing school with 500 stables.

The exclusive 6 millionsquare feet project is locatedadjacent to Emirates Roadand the Dubai-Al Ain Road,and within close proximity toZayed University. Al HabtoorPolo Resort & Club will havethe added benefit of all the

Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Founderand Chairman, Al Habtoor Group

An artist’s impression of AlHabtoor Polo Resort and Club

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dents can enjoy. We areproud of our heritage in sup-porting the UAE’s develop-ment as an aspirationalplace to live and vacationand by adding a dedicatedresort for polo, the sport ofkings, to our portfolio, we aredemonstrating our intent toenhance further the qualityand variety of our assets andservices.”

“Residents will have exclu-sive access to the polo facil-ity and will be able to tour thelocation,” he added.

The project is due to becompleted in 3 phases: Thefields will be ready by theend of 2015, the stables andequestrian centre by mid-2016, and the hotel by theend of 2017.

Metropolitanhotel 2.0The Metropolitan Sheikh

Zayed Road will be a 4-starboutique hotel located onDubai’s bustling and mostimportant road. The hotel,well on its way for completionin 2016, will have a total of334 rooms and suites.

Commenting on the newMetropolitan, Khalaf AlHabtoor said, “We arepleased to bring back an oldfavourite. We started out inthe hotel business in 1979with the Metropolitan Hotel,so it is fitting as we approachour 45th anniversary that weshould revive an establishedbrand that is so much part ofour heritage. I feel sure thatthe new Metropolitan willenjoy the same success asthe original one and becomeembedded in the hearts ofDubai’s residents and visi-tors alike.”

The Metropolitan SheikhZayed Road will also incor-porate a lobby café, an out-door courtyard café, an

all-day dining restaurant andthe ‘Don Corleone’, an Italianrestaurant. Other facilities in-clude a ballroom with a pre-function room, five meetingrooms with breakout areas, abusiness centre and roof-topswimming pool and gymna-sium. The hotel, designed byKhatib & Alami, will also seethe revival of the Red Liontraditional English pub.

“When we closed the Met-ropolitan, which was our firsthotel in Dubai, I promisedour regular customers that Iwould one day revive theRed Lion. Today, I am deliv-ering on that promise. I amnot nostalgic, but I am con-scious of what our customerswant, and I am confident thatthis new hotel will become anew destination in Dubai,”Khalaf Al Habtoor remarked.

The hotel is being devel-oped and will start operatingat a time when tourism in theUAE is phenomenal and the

hotel market in Dubai isgrowing in leaps andbounds. Almost every montha hotel is launched in Dubaiand numerous others are ei-ther ready for launch or areunder construction; a situa-tion leading to intense com-petition in the market.

“The hotel business is notas easy as people think. Yetwe gain a lot of revenuesfrom that arm of our busi-ness,” Khalaf Al Habtoormentioned. Although theroom rates for the hotelhaven’t been decided yet, hesaid, “We want to be fair andreasonable with our rates.”

Khalaf Al Habtoor also re-vealed during the mediaevent that Al Habtoor Groupis also in talks of buying ahotel in Illinois state of theUS. “I am open to investingabroad, if a good opportunityso arises,” he said whenasked about his plans to in-vest abroad.

An artist’s impression of theMetropolitan Sheikh Zayed Road hotel

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Falling oil prices shouldbe viewed as a posi-tive trend; investorsare ‘over-reacting’says Al Habtoor

Group Chairman KhalafAhmad Al Habtoor. Accord-ing to him, investorsshouldn’t be overly con-cerned with fluctuations inthe global markets as a re-sult of the drop in oil prices.

Al Habtoor Group Chair-man said he can’t under-stand why investors arerunning for safety. “A drop inoil prices isn’t necessarily abad thing, in fact, it’s verypositive for the majority ofsector like airlines, shipping,transportation and manufac-turing,” he explained.

“The benefits of lower oilprices outweigh the nega-tives,” he said. “A drop in oilprices benefits many busi-nesses. Sure, energy com-panies lose out, but cheaperoil is generally good for theeconomy and the overallstock market. Companiesthat use oil as an input, ex-perience a reduction in theircost of production. Thismeans profit margins go up,and this can be passed on tothe consumer.”

Khalaf Al Habtoor providedan example to prove hispoint. He said in India carsales jumped 10% in No-vember, 2014 on the back oflower oil prices, according todata released by industrybody Society of Indian Auto-mobile Manufacturers. “Carsales bounced into positiveterritory in India following twomonths of decline. Thissends a strong message,”he said.

He added, “If you look atthe US economy, the world’slargest economy and a sig-nificant energy consumer, it

would benefit from a drop inoil prices. Consumers gainbecause gas costs less andresults in higher real incomewhich could result in in-creased spending. Busi-nesses benefit from lowercosts of production andhigher profits, and this couldlead to increased output,which means more activity inthe economy.”

Investors were frightenedafter Morgan Stanley revisedits oil forecast lower, sayingprices could drop as low asUS$43 a barrel next year.Crude oil has already de-creased from over US$100 abarrel to around US$65.

“I believe the analysts arebeing more academic thanpractical in this instance.This is just an assessmentand it has led the bears tocome out,” Al Habtoor said.“What people have to re-member is that the stockmarket is not an indicator ofthe overall economy.”

Commenting on the UAEmarket, the Al HabtoorGroup Chairman said thatcountry has proved it canwithstand global market tur-moil following its recoveryfrom the global crisis in2008. “The UAE has a diver-sified economy that is notwholly reliant on oil,” he said.“Plus the UAE governmentput measures in place togive itself a buffer, and it is ina better position than ever tocope with external shocks.”

Unlike most other corpo-rate leaders, Khalaf AlHabtoor was humble enoughto admit during the mediaannouncement that, “A lot oftimes I invested on a trialand error basis; I made themistake of investing over-seas and lost my money.Therefore I will encourage

everyone, especially thepeople of the GCC, to spendtheir money and invest herein the UAE.”

Given the fact that he is apatriotic person, Khalaf AlHabtoor also explained whyAl Habtoor Group has beeninvesting in the propertymarket during the last fewyears: “We built just to proveto the UAE citizens, resi-dents and outsiders that weare trustworthy. I will like tocall the UAE a safe haven ofthe world. Here you can besafe and comfortable withyour family, can have thebest education and the bestinfrastructure, and most im-portantly security, which israre in the world. Besides,you also have the among theworld’s best airports and air-lines. This is the heritage ofmy country to serve all. Herewe do not differentiate on thebasis of culture or colour orreligion. We are all one bigfamily together and that con-tributes to the success of theUAE.” g

Don’t panic over global marketfluctuations: Khalaf Al Habtoor

“A drop in oil pricesbenefits manybusinesses. Sure,energy companies loseout, but cheaper oil isgenerally good for theeconomy and theoverall stock market.Companies that use oilas an input, experiencea reduction in their costof production. Thismeans profit marginsgo up, and this can bepassed on to theconsumer.”

- Khalaf Al Habtoor,Founder and Chairman,

Al Habtoor Group

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Luxury livingon SheikhZayed RoadThe upmarket and luxuryresidential complex with ex-tensive landscaping, OasisVillas, is being developedalongside the Metropolitanhotel Sheikh Zayed Road.Due for completion in 2016,the project will consist of 74units located in the heart ofJumeirah – situated at thejunction of Sheikh ZayedRoad and Al Thanya Street.

The 4, 5 and 6 bedroom vil-las will occupy a built up areaof 20,947 square metres.There will be two 6-bedroomdetached houses with largeentrance halls leading to agrand staircase. Thesehomes will benefit from theirown private swimming pool.While the 51 4-bedroom vil-

las will be of 246 square me-tres, another 5 of the 4-bed-room villas will be of 300square metres each.

The residential complexwill provide residents with ac-cess to a fully-equippedgymnasium, communalswimming pool, children’splay area and a joggingtrack.

However, a crucial aspectof Oasis Villas is that theyare not for sale; the reasonbeing that any property onthe land that comprisesJumeirah cannot be sold, asper law. Mohammed AlHabtoor clarified that OasisVillas will only be rented out.

Strong record,roaring future“We are approaching our45th year with great success.

We look forward to creatingnew landmarks for the city ofDubai,” Khalaf Al Habtoorsaid.

“In total our investments inthe UAE over the past 24months have amounted to anexcess of Dhs15 billion. Thisshows how much we aregrowing,” he revealed.

During the media an-nouncement, he stated thatAl Habtoor Group has beenconsistently recording stronggrowth and cited figures toprove the current and ex-pected growth volume. In thepast three years he said totalrevenue was 37%, with anaverage annual revenuegrowth rate of 12.5%.

The Group’s total net worthover the same period jumpedby 20%, with an average an-nual net worth growth rate ofnearly 7%. The Chairmanadded that the next five

years are expected to seerevenue growth jump to astunning 161%, which wouldequal to an average annualgrowth of 32%. Anticipatednet worth growth for the com-ing five years is slated to be85%, with an average annualgrowth rate of 17%.

Al Habtoor Group also in-tends to capitalise on thebooming real estate marketin Dubai by planning tolaunch a couple of othermega projects.

“The three new projectsthat we announced are in ad-dition to our multi-use devel-opment, ‘Al Habtoor City’ onSheikh Zayed Road. We aimto open our three hotelsthere in 2015. These are ex-citing times for Al HabtoorGroup, we are gaining mar-ket share across all our busi-nesses and successfullyimplementing our strategy of

An artist’s impressionof the Oasis Villas

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collaborating with otherworld-class brands,” KhalafAl Habtoor stated.

Al Habtoor Group has em-barked on an aggressivegrowth plan in recent years.In the past two years alone,the Group opened the 5-starWaldorf Astoria Dubai PalmJumeirah, and is ahead ofschedule with the Al HabtoorCity project.

The multi-use develop-

ment, on the banks of theDubai Water Canal, will in-corporate three luxury Star-wood branded hotels: St. Regis, W hotel, andWestin.

In addition, the complexwill be home to the region’sfirst permanent water-themed theatrical productionby Franco Dragone Enter-tainment Group.

It will also feature a tennis

academy, a European-styleBoulevard lined with shopsand cafés leading to theDubai Water Canal. Along-side the hotels, Al HabtoorGroup is building three high-rise residential blocks com-plete with ultra-luxurypenthouses.

Khalaf Al Habtoor proudlysaid to applause during themedia event, “I personallybelieve in working with our

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AHG Chairmanreadies unitheads for 2015

Khalaf Ahmad AlHabtoor, Chairmanof the Al HabtoorGroup met with theGroup’s unit heads

recently to motivate them forthe new year. Khalaf AlHabtoor told the departmentleaders from Habtoor Hotels,Al Habtoor Motors, Dia-mondlease, and Emirates In-ternational Schools that2015 is forecasted to be anexceptionally strong year forthe Group and that employ-ees must be ready to grasppotential opportunities.

“There is no time for com-placency,” the Chairmansaid, “As our motto states,we are ‘Growing with theUAE’. We are an ambitiousGroup that is demonstratinggrowth throughout all ourunits and playing a vital rolein the UAE economy. Wemight not be the biggestcompany, but we have thebiggest presence. We needto ensure we stay ahead ofthe game, and be numberone in everything we do.”

He reminded the Directorsthat the Al Habtoor Groupwill celebrate its 45th an-niversary in 2015. “We areapproaching our 45th yearwith great success. These

are exciting times for the AlHabtoor Group; we are gain-ing market share across allour businesses and suc-cessfully implementing ourstrategy of collaborating withother world-class brands.”

“I expect 2015 to be a mo-mentous year. We are set-ting new benchmarks forourselves,” he added. “Wedon’t just compete within theUAE, but globally. We haveadopted international stan-dards and best practice, andhave raised the bar for oth-ers to follow. We are knownfor our pioneering vision.”

“We were among the firstto open a hotel in the Dubai

Marina area with the HabtoorGrand Beach Resort & Spa,and the first to pick a locationon the Palm Jumeirah –where the Waldorf AstoriaDubai Palm Jumeirah nowstands. The naysayersdoubted their longevity. Butlook at us now. Our hotelsare in the best locations, andthe most expensive real es-tate in Dubai,” he stated.

“It is important that we mo-tivate our employees. Theyare our biggest asset. I wantour Human Resources De-partment to identify ourweaknesses and push themharder. We need to continueto train our staff, prepare

them for our future, and re-tain our talent, while puttingemphasis on the customer.”

Presenting his outlook for2015, Khalaf Al Habtoorsaid, “Profit forecasts lookstrong for the coming year,and we will be opening ourlandmark project - AlHabtoor City, while embark-ing on our new develop-ments. Al Habtoor City hasgreat significance as it is lo-cated on the site where wefirst entered the hotel busi-ness in 1979 with the Metro-politan hotel. Our newproject will be a major land-mark for visitors and resi-dents.” g

government and grow alongwith the United Arab Emi-rates. I think us as Al HabtoorGroup and our country; weare one body, created ataround the same time. Weare committed to grow to-gether and to participate andcontribute towards the suc-cess of my country. This iswhy we have launched a lotof projects during the last fewyears.” g

Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor (centre) and Mohammed Al Habtoor(second from left) with senior officials of Al Habtoor Group