Palm hoteliers meet

The meeting, which took place at The Royal Mirage Dubai, sought to bring the hoteliers together in one forum, to discuss the progress and next stages of this extraordinary development.

Saeed Ahmed Saeed, Managing Director, Projects for The Palm who was leading the meeting said, "The reclamation phase of The Palm, Jumeirah will shortly be nearing completion and we will be swiftly be moving onto building the infrastructure and constructing the homes and hotels".

"In order for us to move onto the next stages a great deal of planning and consultation has and will continue to take place. Meetings like today provide an excellent medium to discuss a wide range of elements that the hoteliers need to know and want to find out about", Saeed continued.

Discussions covered a cross-section of topics from technical aspects to schedules and logistics. Specialist consultants covered specific details relating to the transportation methods and patterns, utilities plans and processes and construction procedures.

Wahid Attalla, Director of Operations for The Palm, addressed the audience about the legal licensing, financing, contractual, branding and marketing elements for the hotels. Whilst Dr Imad Haffar, Bio-Resource Adviser for The Palm, spoke about the environmental measures being implemented on the project.

In total, The Palm, Jumeirah will house 40 boutique hotels on the Crescent and 9 hotels on the Trunk. The hotels will all have a unique theme and type of guest experience whether tranquil, pampered, social or health and are expected to provide the exotic attractions of far-away destinations.

Also speaking at the hoteliers meeting was Martin Mileham, Design Co-ordinator, Hill International.

The Palm, Jumeirah is expected to open in late 2005, early 2006.