The Yas Hotel opens in Abu Dhabi

Opening its doors for the first time, The Yas Hotel was home to the VIPs of the race and concerts of the inaugural 2009 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Built by Aldar Properties, Abu Dhabi's leading property development company, and operated by Aldar Hotels and Hospitality under the guidance of Paul Bell, Managing Director, The Yas Hotel was built in a mere 22 months with a team of 4000 workers. The hotel consists of 499 rooms and 14 entertainment and dining options in two separate buildings, connected by a bridge overlooking Yas Marina Circuit. The bridge atop the circuit offers unrivalled views of the track from two levels, VIP access and Rush, Abu Dhabi's hottest new night spot.

The first hotel in the world to span a race track, The Yas Hotel's extraordinary 5000 LED panel Gridshell drapes the hotel in a vibrant shroud of lights, enabling the hotel to act as a light show providing different shades and colours, including animations, making it the largest colour LED display in the world. For the grand finale of yesterday's race, 600m people around the world watched as the hotel lit up as a chequered flag waving in the wind.

Inside the hotel, bespoke furniture, all created to fit the buildings' unique shape and character, make the room designs distinctive and original. The bathrooms are housed in a frameless glass box, mounted with fine silk sheer panels, and the vast penthouse (which comprises 28 bedrooms and covers 2,531 SqM) has furniture pieces from MoMA, alongside a great art collection.

The Yas Hotel offers its guests two Georges V concept bars, the visionaries behind the internationally recognised Buddha Bar brand. The bars boast prime locations - Skylite, on the rooftop of the main tower, and the other - Rush, in the adrenaline-evoking bridge above the Grand Prix circuit. Intimate dining can be found in the hotel's eight speciality restaurants, which between them draw inspiration from around the world in recognition of the hotels' international clientele, from Seafood to Pan Arabic and contemporary Asian.

The Yas Hotel's General Manager, Jean-Francois Laurent, said:

"We are delighted to welcome our first guests over this Grand Prix weekend and are pleased to share this magnificent hotel with the motorsport fraternity. I will be thrilled to reveal our hotel to not only enthusiasts of motorsport, but also architecture, those seeking unique culinary experiences, residents of Abu Dhabi and international visitors, as we open our doors to the world on 3 November."