Eagle Hills is eyeing a 2017 launch for its multi-million dollar Abdali development, which will include one of the region’s few W hotels.

By Dina al-Wakeel

A 280-room W hotel will form the centerpiece of a new $200 million development that’s due to open in Abdali in mid-2017. Abu Dhabi’s Eagle Hills is behind the project, which will also include Skyline Residences serviced by W Hotel.

Eagle Hills Jordan CEO Alaa Batayneh said the new luxury hotel, along with the other huge developments his company has in the pipeline elsewhere in the Kingdom such as Saraya Aqaba and Marsa Zayed, proves just how attractive the Jordanian market is for investors.

How important is it for Amman to get a W hotel?

We are very proud that between April and July we should be receiving our first guests. The W is a unique, sought after brand internationally and I think it will be good for everyone. [W Hotels & Resorts] are targeting 75 hotels and residences by 2020 all over the world. So I think we are one of the few in the Arab region.

But you are just across the street from another five star hotel, what makes W any different from any other five star hotel in Amman, and are you being too optimistic?

We doubled in population in 10 years and Amman is a thriving city that is now home to 4.5 million people. We should always be optimistic and try to give more choices to our visitors, whether they are tourists here for leisure, or business guests. So having a new brand like the W just puts Jordan on the spot again.

You recently began offering up some of the serviced apartments in the project. How much demand has there been so far?

You will be surprised; we have quite good interest in the residences. I think it’s one of the very few, if not the only one, that reaches such heights in Amman. It’s a beautiful scene once you get up there.

What’s happening with your other investments here?

We have two in Amman and two in Aqaba. St. Regis, which is located in Abdoun, will be completed between the second and third quarters of next year and that includes St. Regis hotel and the residences. It’s branded by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which has now merged with Marriott International. It’s over 90 percent sold and it’s one of a kind as well.

Do you have any other projects planned for Jordan?

Yes of course, we have a few empty plots around Amman and Aqaba so this year we decided to just get our projects back on track. We are doing studies of the market, and these developments could be residences, hotels, mixed-use, or malls.