DUBAI - The world’s tallest hotel, the Rose Rayhaan by Rotana, is scheduled to open in Dubai by mid-December, UAE daily Emirates Business reported on Monday.Rotana said it expects occupancy levels at the 481-room hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road of no less than 80 percent, the newspaper reported.
The hotelier’s expectations are a far cry from current hotel occupancy levels in the UAE, which have been hit by the global recession as fewer tourists visiting to the Gulf tourism hub.
Occupancy levels currently hover around 60 percent in the UAE, according to hospitality research firm STR Global, with city hotels much worse affected than beach hotels.
Construction of the 333-metre high, 72-floor Rose Rayhaan was completed in 2007, steeling the title of world’s tallest hotel that the iconic Burj Al Arab held for much of the last decade.