Club next phase for Saadiyat

The latest phase of Saadiyat is a luxury beach club meant to lure high-spending residents of Abu Dhabi.

The latest phase of Saadiyat Island will be a luxury beach club designed to entice high-spending residents of Abu Dhabi to the capital's multibillion-dirham flagship tourism development. The island development, being built by Abu Dhabi's Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), will eventually house the Guggenheim and Louvre museums. The luxury beach club, based at the Saadiyat Beach District, will cater to future residents of the island as well as visitors. The club is to include a spa, two swimming pools, tennis courts, gyms, a children's play area, and restaurants and cafes, the TDIC said.

"Of course, the priority will be for the residents of the Saadiyat Beach District, but there will be a daily guest membership as well," said Noaf Tahlak, a marketing manager at TDIC. "It will cater for all ages. There's a lot that you can do there. It's an all-day family event destination." Residents will start moving into villas and apartments on the island by the end of next year, the TDIC said. "This will give people a feel of what the Saadiyat Beach District will look like," Ms Tahlak said.

"We're getting the brand of Saadiyat to people. The design of the beach club is very contemporary and gives people a sense of what the district is going to be like." An operator will be appointed to manage the club by the end of this month, and pricing and membership structures would be decided on once the operator was in place, Ms Tahlak said. The Saadiyat Beach District will eventually have nine five-star hotels, including a Park Hyatt, Shangri-La and Mandarin Oriental, according to the master plan.

The Saadiyat Beach Golf Club opened this year. The Park Hyatt is due to open in the first quarter of next year, the TDIC said. "Premium club facilities are in high demand in Abu Dhabi, and this exclusive beach club will complement the island's varied hotel and resort developments, offering state-of-the-art hospitality facilities in a non-hotel environment," said Lee Tabler, the chief executive of TDIC.