The second phase construction of R Hotel’s new property in Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, started last month, following the completion of piling and foundation work.

Located at the East Crescent of Palm Jumeirah, the Dh10-million ($2.7 million) hotel and resort project is expected to open in the last quarter of 2016.

The 30,000-sq-m resort complex is set to be the first four-star and sharia-compliant hotel and resort at the upmarket destination and will feature 253 rooms, a holistic wellness centre, two restaurants and family-friendly recreational facilities, said R Hotels, a leading operator of hospitality projects across the UAE.

R Hotels is the hospitality management division of Ajman-based R Holding, a multi-faceted business group based in the UAE.

The piling and foundation work of the project was completed two weeks ahead of the deadline last month by Tech Group, the project contractor.

“With the total investment of Dh500 million ($136 million), our property at The Palm is one of our biggest development projects to date,” remarked Samir Arora, the vice-president for operations at R Hotels.

R Hotels’ new hotel and resort, which was first announced in November 2014, will be the group’s sixth property in the UAE.