A massive housing development dedicated to hospitality employees in Ras Al Khaimah is ready to welcome the first of its 3,000 residents, as the emirate gears up to double its hotel inventory within the next few years.
The first phase of The Campus, being developed by state-owned Ras Al Khaimah Hospitality Holding, is complete and will start receiving tenants within the next two months, Alison Grinnell, chief executive of RAKHH, told The National.
The hospitality-dedicated high-end accommodation project comes as Ras Al Khaimah prepares for an influx of employees to run the multi-billion dollar developments springing up in the emirate.
The hospitality sector in the northern emirate is expected to create more than 25,000 new job opportunities by 2030, according to data from Stirling Hospitality Advisors consultancy.
The Campus will include shopping avenues, community centres, cafes and outdoor spaces. Phase 2 of the development − the master plan of which has yet to be revealed − is expected to be double the size of the first phase.
“The Campus is a home away from home for hospitality employees – aiming to provide a high quality of life,” Ms Grinnell said.
Accommodation will be assigned based on designations and job roles, with units and buildings earmarked for entry-level, supervisory, junior-level management and other managerial staff, media reports earlier suggested, but the company did not comment on it.
More hotels, more jobs
RAKHH− which operates through several subsidiaries that manage hotels, logistics, restaurants and leisure assets across the emirate − is also working on other hotel projects.
“We have several new hotels in the pipeline, looking to meet the demands of different customer segments and take advantage of the unique topography of the emirate,” Ms Grinnell said.
“We are working on developments on Jebel Jais, on the beach and in the desert. Wynn Al Marjan will contribute circa 1,500 [rooms], which, of course, contributes to the overall inventory growth,” said Ms Grinnell.
The $5.1 billion Wynn resort – expected to create 7,000 jobs when it opens in 2027 − is a joint venture between RAKHH, Marjan and US-based hotel operator Wynn.
“The arrival of Wynn Al Marjan will significantly benefit the entire emirate, becoming a strong pillar of the broader destination strategy,” said Ms Grinnell.
“The integrated resort will create extensive job opportunities, increase demand for hotel keys, attract new suppliers and benefit from enhanced staff accommodation."
RAKHH's hospitality portfolio also includes Pullman Resort Al Marjan Island, Rixos Beach Resort, Hilton Garden Inn and the Ritz Carlton, Al Wadi Desert.
The group, which brought Rixos Hotels to its fold last year, operates and manages hotel ventures across three countries through its subsidiary, Stirling Hospitality Advisors.
RAKHH also announced two new additions to its portfolio in Jebel Jais – the Saij Mountain Lodge by Mantis Collection and a fire and grill restaurant concept in partnership with Rikas Hospitality.
Branded residences in demand
The tourism boost is also shaping real estate demand in the emirate with the supply of residential units set to double by 2030. A report released by Savills Middle East said at least 11,000 units were scheduled for completion over the next five years.
Meanwhile, about 40 per cent of all new developments coming up in the emirate are branded residences, The RAK Investment Pulse report by Stirling Hospitality Advisors found.
RAKHH's Ritz-Carlton Residences is seeing strong demand, Ms Grinnell said. Unit prices start at around Dh15 million ($4 million), according to online listings.
“The [branded residence] concept fits ideally with the demands we are seeing from both travellers and new residents. Interest in branded residences is coming from both investors and also people looking for second homes," she said.
"We see interest coming from numerous source markets, European, Asian and GCC, varying according to the product on offer."
'Destination of the future'
Ras Al Khaimah celebrated its best year for tourism, with a record 1.28 million overnight arrivals in 2024 and plans to increase annual visitors to three million by 2030.
Connectivity to Ras Al Khaimah has improved significantly with the introduction of direct flights from cities in Poland, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Romania, the Czech Republic, Russia, Saudi Arabia and India.
With a focus on sustainable tourism, Ras Al Khaimah is also ranked among the top 10 cities for expats in the InterNations City Ranking 2024.
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- 1917 - Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
- THE IRISHMAN - Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
- JOKER - Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Sin-ae
DIRECTOR
- 1917 - Sam Mendes
- THE IRISHMAN - Martin Scorsese
- JOKER - Todd Phillips
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
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- 1917 - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
- BAIT - Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
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- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- PAIN AND GLORY - Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
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- SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Marriage Story
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LEADING ACTOR
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- ADAM DRIVER - Marriage Story
- TARON EGERTON - Rocketman
- JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Joker
- JONATHAN PRYCE - The Two Popes
SUPPORTING ACTOR
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- ANTHONY HOPKINS - The Two Popes
- AL PACINO - The Irishman
- JOE PESCI - The Irishman
- BRAD PITT - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- LAURA DERN - Marriage Story
- SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Jojo Rabbit
- FLORENCE PUGH - Little Women
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ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- THE IRISHMAN - Steven Zaillian
- JOJO RABBIT - Taika Waititi
- JOKER - Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
- LITTLE WOMEN - Greta Gerwig
- THE TWO POPES - Anthony McCarten
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- BOOKSMART - Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
- KNIVES OUT - Rian Johnson
- MARRIAGE STORY - Noah Baumbach
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Han Jin Won, Bong Joon ho
DOCUMENTARY
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- APOLLO 11 - Todd Douglas Miller
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- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
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OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
- BAIT - Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab (Director/Producer), Edward Watts (Director)
- MAIDEN - Alex Holmes (Director)
- ONLY YOU - Harry Wootliff (Writer/Director)
- RETABLO - Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)
ANIMATED FILM
- FROZEN 2 - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho
- KLAUS - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh
- A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON - Will Becher, Richard Phelan, Paul Kewley
- TOY STORY 4 - Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen
CASTING
- JOKER - Shayna Markowitz
- MARRIAGE STORY - Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Victoria Thomas
- THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD - Sarah Crowe
- THE TWO POPES - Nina Gold
EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
- AWKWAFINA
- JACK LOWDEN
- KAITLYN DEVER
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CINEMATOGRAPHY
- 1917 - Roger Deakins
- THE IRISHMAN - Rodrigo Prieto
- JOKER - Lawrence Sher
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EDITING
- THE IRISHMAN - Thelma Schoonmaker
- JOJO RABBIT - Tom Eagles
- JOKER - Jeff Groth
- LE MANS ’66 - Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Fred Raskin
COSTUME DESIGN
- THE IRISHMAN - Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
- JOJO RABBIT - Mayes C. Rubeo
- JUDY - Jany Temime
- LITTLE WOMEN - Jacqueline Durran
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Arianne Phillips
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- 1917 - Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales
- THE IRISHMAN - Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
- JOJO RABBIT - Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
- JOKER - Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh
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- AVENGERS: ENDGAME - Dan Deleeuw, Dan Sudick
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MAKE UP & HAIR
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- BOMBSHELL - Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan
- JOKER - Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
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BRITISH SHORT FILM
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- GOLDFISH - Hector Dockrill, Harri Kamalanathan, Benedict Turnbull, Laura Dockrill
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- LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) - Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva
- THE TRAP - Lena Headey, Anthony Fitzgerald
BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
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Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
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