Dubai’s dragon mark is being expanded

Kele Contracting announced on Monday that it has been awarded the contract to build a hotel next to Nakheel's Dragon Mart complex in Dubai.

The hotel is part of the 177,000m² Dragon Mart Phase 2 development, the builder said in a statement.

Andrew Elias, CEO of Kele Contracting, said: "We are very pleased to be awarded the contract to construct the Dragon Mart Hotel, which forms an excellent addition to our extensive portfolio of projects."

The nine storey three-star hotel will feature approximately 246 rooms and the project is scheduled to be completed in 13 months, he added.

During the development of the hotel, Kele will be responsible for the full scope of the work on the project and delivering the project.

Kele was also awarded the contract to build a modern multi-storey car parking facility for Dragon Mart by Nakheel earlier this year, to cater for the increasing number of shoppers and visitors at the centre.

Scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2012, the gate-controlled car park will contain 1,894 additional parking spaces spread over four storeys as well as underground parking.

Dragon Mart is a retail complex consisting of retail outlets, a hypermarket, cinema, children's amusement area, gym and food and beverage venues, and is open for traders in the wholesale and retail business.

The completion of Phase 2 will bring the total size of the Dragon Mart complex to 335,000m².

Kele said it currently has several construction projects underway in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Bahrain.

Last August, Nakheel said it planned to more than double the size of the Dragon Mart Mall, which at 1.2km long already makes it the largest trading centre for Chinese products outside mainland China.