A construction contract is expected to be awarded this month (February) for a new 372-room hotel to be built at Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai.

This follows a management agreement signed by Dubai master developer Nakheel with Thailand’s Minor Hotels under which the hotel will be managed under the Avani Hotels & Resorts brand.

Adjacent to the recently-opened Ibn Battuta Metro Link, which is directly connected to the mall, the 18-storey hotel will feature a pool, spa, gym, all-day dining restaurant, coffee shop and parking.

Avani Ibn Battuta is the second Nakheel hotel at the mall. The first, a 372-room Premier Inn, opened last year. The hotels are part of Nakheel’s ongoing expansion at Ibn Battuta Mall, the first phase of which was completed last year with the opening of a 300,000-sq-ft extension and 210-m link to the Dubai Metro.  The mall currently has 400 shops, restaurants and entertainment outlets across 1.5 million sq ft of retail space, with Phase Two of expansion under way.

The hotel is one of 16 in the developer’s hospitality project portfolio.