Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) announced the signing of the contract with General Hotel Management (GHM) to bring the latest in the series of GHM’s prestigious Chedi hotels to Khorfakkan, Sharjah.
The signing ceremony, which took place at Masrah Al Qasba, announced the deal to build The Chedi Khorfakkan Resort, to join the other Chedi hotels that GHM has launched, including in Chedi Chiang Mai in Thailand, Chedi Muscat in Oman, Chedi Andermatt, and the Chedi Club in Bali, Indonesia.
The ceremony was attended, among others, by Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmad Al Qassimi, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development, as well as H.E Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, the CEO of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and R Jenni, the Director and President of GHM.
The investment of the project is worth more than Dh 350 million. The Chedi Khorfakkan Resort will be comprised of three components: the fort, the hilltown, and town square. The fort is located on the hilltop and will serve as the primary access point to the resort. It will contain restaurants, spa, gym, business facilities and reception. The hilltown is composed of 170 suites with seaside views situated along the natural gradients of the hillside. The town square is located in the centre of The Hilltown. Town Square will include a variety of cafes, preserving the beachfront and providing a secondary gathering point.
The Chedi Khorfakkan Resort will boast a wide range of activities to take advantage of the warm temperatures and rich marine life of the Gulf of Oman – a diver’s paradise. An onsite fully equipped dive center will run daily trips to some of UAE’s most premier dive sites such as Shark Island, Martini Rock and Three Rocks. In addition, the resort will provide access jet skis, yachts, sailing boats and instructors of those who desire to venture out and explore the waters.
According to GHM, the striking forts and hillside towns that dot the coast of Oman and the UAE serve as the resort’s design motivation, and reflect Shurooq’s commitment to delivering signature projects that celebrate Arabic heritage and culture. The resort will feature authentic architecture, local building materials and crafted details, all with the modern amenities and comforts to be expected in a premier resort.
“Sharjah is always keen to support the tourism sector with more investment and projects that build on the foundations and international standards that keep tourists flowing into the emirate. Today, we are here to witness the reveal of a name that is well-known in the hospitality world – The Chedi – as operator of the new Khorfakkan Resort. This is an important step in increasing the capacity of the area and ensuring quality and sophisticated services are available to the tourists who visit it; it is a great leap forward in the tourism sector,” Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmad Al Qassimi, said.
“Prestige projects like the Chedi Khorfakkan Resort continue Sharjah’s growth as a cultural, scenic and tourist destination. It has been carefully considered and thoughtfully planned to minimize the environmental impact, while maximizing the social and financial sustainability of the project, and its accessibility to the other emirates will make it a prime destination”, he added.
“In particular, we want to develop Khorfakkan to be not just one of the key ports in the region, but a tourism destination too. So we looked for a project that would be unique in its design and size, but at the same time, would not adversely affect the environment, or detract from the beauty of the mountain scenery. It was this objective that lead up to today: where we sign the deal for the construction of GHM’S Chedi Khorfakkan Resort,” Al Sarkal said.
The Chedi Khorfakkan Resort is expected to open in 2015.