17th-century French style with Royal Rose hotel in Abu Dhabi

Inspired by the architecture of the “grand siecle” and complete gold leaf and ornate chandeliers, the hotel will aim to tap corporate travel to the city.

The exterior of soon to-be-open Royal Rose hotel on Zayed the First Street (formerly also known as Electra Street) in Abu Dhabi. Silvia Razgova / The National

A hotel developed in the style of a 17th-century French palace is set to open in the unlikely location of downtown Abu Dhabi.

The Bin Ham Group conglomerate, which has interests spanning oil, construction agriculture and tourism, is expected to launch its 355-room Royal Rose hotel on Electra Street this month.

Inspired by the architecture of the “grand siecle” and complete with gold leaf and ornate chandeliers, the hotel will aim to tap corporate travel to the city centre, said Gianni Malerba, the hotel’s general manager.

“The hotel is in the downtown, so we will focus on having 60 per cent of the guests from [this] sector,” he said. “We are also looking at a 60 per cent occupancy rate for the first year.”

The 19-storey hotel will have two ballrooms, with a capacity of 330 people and 150 people, three boardrooms, and three executive floors, which will feature two VIP lounges. It will initially employ 170 people, rising to 310 at full capacity.

The business travel sector generates US$653 million each year for the emirate, according to the Tourism and Culture Authority.

The 42-year-old Bin Ham Group owns the City Seasons brand, which owns and operates five four-star properties in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain and Muscat with 1,300 rooms in total. The group first ventured into the hotels sector in the late 1990s with smaller properties in the capital.

Bin Ham Group plans another property in Dubai – next to the BurJuman mall in Bur Dubai – by the end of the year. It expects to double its portfolio by 2020.

With Royal Rose, the capital will have a new brand in its luxury market, dominated by international operators such as Westin, InterContinental, Sheraton, Hilton, Hyatt and Ritz-Carlton.

Abu Dhabi has 21 hotels with about 6,480 rooms in the pipeline for the next three years, according to STR Global.

Bigger hotel operators such as the British InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and New York-listed Starwood have long been a fixture in the local landscape, and have aggressive expansion plans.

IHG expects to open seven properties in the UAE by 2017, and Starwood has eight in the pipeline by 2016. IHG, which has brands such as Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn, manages 18 properties in the UAE, Starwood, which has brands such as St. Regis, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton and Aloft, has 23 in its portfolio.

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