Agreement was signed with Al Jaber Est. and Tourism Development & Investment Comp., Abu Dhabi to manage the Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi, opening February 2007. This is the second such management agreement between the two groups; the first was for the Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai.

The 21-acre (8.5 hectare) property, including the luxury hotel, serviced apartments and deluxe villas, complemented by dining, entertainment, retail and recreational facilities, will be the first development of its kind in Abu Dhabi.

The Shangri-La Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, designed by Northpoint Architect of Johannesburg, South Africa, faces a 1,000-metre-long (3,300 foot) private beach. The luxury hotel is 10 minutes from the airport; 15 minutes from the Abu Dhabi Corniche and five minutes from the new Convention Centre.

All accommodations will feature sea views, including the 214 guestrooms with room sizes over 45 square metres (484 square feet), 161 studio to four-bedroom serviced apartments, and seven four to six-bedroom deluxe villas. Each villa will have its own private swimming pool.

Dining choices will include a poolside bar, lobby lounge, all-day dining coffee shop, and restaurants serving French, Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine. A lively souk (Arabian marketplace) will be a centre for dining and colourful shopping activity .

The hotel will feature CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La, Shangri-La's signature spa brand. The concept of CHI is to create a sanctuary of tranquillity inspired by the legend of Shangri-La, with therapies based on the ancient healing traditions and rituals of the Himalayas and China.

In addition to CHI, recreational facilities will include a health club, five outdoor swimming pools and water sports. A 700-metre-long (2,296 foot) waterway with "abras" (Arab gondolas) will transport guests on its meandering pathway through the property.

Meeting and banqueting facilities will consist of a 300-square-metre (2,950 square foot) ballroom; two 30 square-metre (295 square foot) boardrooms and two 45-square-metre (440square foot) meeting rooms. In order to serve the needs of business travellers, there will be a fully equipped business centre.

"The property's prime location, luxury accommodations, variety of recreational and meeting facilities, combined with Shangri-La's renowned hospitality, will produce extremely memorable stays for all our guests," said Giovanni Angelini, Shangri-La's chief executive officer and managing director.

"We selected Shangri-La to manage this special property due to its longstanding reputation in Asia Pacific, and the sterling reputation it has quickly established among its existing Middle East properties," said Mr. Obeid Al Jaber, chairman of Al Jaber Group.