"Islamic" Hotels Picking Steam in Dubai

CAIRO — A new hotel has opened its doors on Sunday, January 20, in Dubai promising a Shari`ah-compliant taste of hospitality, testifying to a growing trend in the cosmopolitan city. "Men and women have different timings to enjoy the covered swimming pool," Reda Mukhtar, the general manager of the Copthorne Hotel, told Gulf Daily News.

He added that the 163-room property, owned by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, will offer a pure Shari`ah-compliant atmosphere.

It will cater for people seeking a "more decent treatment" and will not serve alcohol to guests.

The hotel will serve families and individuals.

"We are not going to check on couples. We will just register their identities," Mukhtar clarified.

The female employees, working as receptionists, waitresses and housekeepers, will follow a special dress code.

"They will not be covered up, but have to dress decently," said the manager.

Trend

Mukhtar noted that his hotel is part of a new trend in Dubai.

Investors are showing more interest in Shari`ah-compliant hotels because of the growing demand for its accommodation, he added.

Copthorne is only the latest in such hotels that have opened doors or are still under construction in Dubai.

Al Jawhara Hotel Apartments at the heart of Dubai offers guests halal food and an Islamic perspective "from the cleaning of the hotel up to the accounting," according to its managers.

Newly-built Tamani Hotel in Dubai Marina is also alcohol-free.

It serves halal food and donates a percentage of profits to recognized charities, according to its website.

The Dubai-based real estate group Almulla Hospitality announced during the Global Halal and Islamic Business Forum in Malaysia last month an intention to have an Islamic hotel chain across the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Dubai, one of the seven emirates that constitute the UAE, is a destination for well-off tourists.

Foreigners make up a majority of the city's 1.3-million population.

According to official figures, Emiratis accounted for just 21.9 percent of the 4.1 million residents of the oil-rich Gulf federation at the end of 2005.

Source: IslamOnline