Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group visited the 11th Dubai International Horse Fair (DIHF) at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) on Thursday March 19, 2015. The three-day event, which runs from March 19-21, showcases more than 200 exhibiting companies from over 20 countries.
The DIHF has firmly established its reputation as the finest equestrian business event in the Middle East. The event is held under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance.
This year marks the first time the Al Habtoor Group has participated in the event following its announcement of its new equestrian development in Dubailand. The Group recently announced that it is partnering with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide for the St. Regis Dubai Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club. The luxury development, worth AED 993 million, will incorporate a 136-key hotel, 162 stylish bungalows and villas, of which 24 will be St. Regis-branded luxury homes, a polo club, state-of-the-art polo academy with four polo fields, a riding school, and 500 stables. It will provide all equestrian disciplines including polo, show jumping, and dressage.
A scale model of the development is on show at the DIHF. In addition, the Group will be conducting regular polo demonstration in the arena with a professional polo player from the Al Habtoor Polo Team.
Khalaf Al Habtoor said, “We are pleased to showcase our latest development at the Dubai International Horse Fair. It is the first time we have unveiled the model, which shows the real sense of scale of this project which will be of great benefit to the polo and equestrian community in the United Arab Emirates.”
The St. Regis Dubai Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club will open in 2017. Led by British architects WS Atkins & Partners, the design of the resort will be inspired by Andalusian architecture.
St. Regis has a rich polo history, beginning at the turn of the last century when polo matches on Manhattan’s Governors Island were the highlight of the New York social calendar and where St. Regis’ founding family, the Astors, were a prominent fixture. The St. Regis Dubai Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club marks its’ first-ever polo resort.
The St. Regis Dubai Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club will be part of Dubailand, a landmark project on Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (Emirates Road) just 25 minutes from Dubai International Airport. Set to become a regional and global tourism hub, Dubailand will feature various sports, leisure, entertainment and shopping attractions, and is expected to attract an additional 15 million tourists to Dubai annually once completed.
The DIHF, in its eleventh consecutive year, serves as a forum for international manufacturers, distributors, retailers and equestrian enthusiasts. The three-day exhibition is held alongside the Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship, a world-class competition for purebred Arabian horses.