Abu Dhabi, UAE, December 11, 2012 - The historic Ain Al Faida Resort in Abu Dhabi’s Oasis City of Al Ain has come under the international spotlight  at the EMEA Hospitality Summit in Istanbul.

Delegates at the summit, which included senior executives and investors within the international hospitality sector,  were given a brief on the family resort – which was built over 30 years ago and, following sensitive renovation is now to reopen, after a five year closure, this new year.

“Delegates were extremely interested to hear about the efforts that are going into bringing this historic project back to life,” explained Philippe Harb, Corporate Director of Operations, One to One Hotels and Resorts, which will operate the resort and who presented Ain Al Faida at the gathering under the ‘Accentuating Authenticity: Renovating Historical Sites To Create Timeless Luxury Destinations.’

“Renovation has been sensitive to the initial concept though contemporary additions have been made, particularly to the food and beverage offering.”
Ain Al Faida, which translates as ‘The Flowing Source,’ is expected to be a four-star resort when it opens this New Year’s Eve. It will boast a 26-bedroomed boutique hotel and 57 villas –a mix of one and two bedroom units.

“It will very much be a casual, family resort with extensive leisure activities,” explained Al Harb. Facilities include tennis courts, basketball and soccer pitches, quad bikes and bicycles for hire, pony rides for children and pony-and-trap rides of the extensive grounds. There will also be large indoor and outdoor children’s play areas, an 800-seater hospitality tent and pedalos on the resort’s lake.

“This will be a significant leisure boost for Al Ain’s tourism proposition which will see increasing demand following the city’s listing as a World Heritage Site,” added Al Harb. “We will also benefit from our close proximity to the Wadi Adventure waterpark with visitors wanting to spend more time there now being able to stay quite literally over-the-road from the attraction.”

Al Ain is Abu Dhabi’s heritage heartland and boasts a number of historic sites which are open to the public including the Al Ain Oasis, the Al Ain National Museum, Al Jahili Fort and the Sheikh Zayed Palace Museum.