Doha : Dubai-based Al Hab-toor Engineering won a Dh954.2 million ($260 million) contract to build four new hotels, officials said.
Construction is due to start next month and will be completed in a year's time, ahead of the Asian Games.
Al Rayyan Tourism Investment Company is the owner of the project, which will be built as part of the Doha City Centre expansion.
Four banks including Commercialbank and Doha Bank of Qatar, Al Ahli United Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait Middle East Bank are financing the project.
The project comprises development on the west and east sides of the existing Doha City Centre, the city's most popular shopping mall. The new project sites are titled Phase II West and Phase III A East.
The Phase II West expansion consists of three underground levels and an above ground seven-storey podium for Marriott Courtyard and Marriott Renaissance Towers.
The Marriott Courtyard will be a four-star hotel with 204 guestrooms and 127 Marriott executive apartments.
Marriott Renaissance, a five-star hotel with 258 rooms and suites and two towers, will contain additional office space for rent. Each tower including the podium will be 50 storeys tall.
The seven-storey podium building will be 55,316 square metres in size, and will contain both front and back office facilities for the two hotels as well as the main entrances and rooftop recreation facilities.
The Phase III A East will consist of three below grade levels. It will also have an above ground seven-storey podium for the Shangri-La and Rotana Towers.
The Shangri-La is a five-star hotel with 272 rooms and 46 hotel apartments. Rotana is a five-star hotel with 273 rooms and 115 hotel apartments.
Cansult Limited of Doha is the project manager while the architects are HOK Canada of Toronto.
Barbara Bibbo
© Gulf News 2005
