The openings of Hard Rock Hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have been delayed by one and two years, respectively, and are now both scheduled for 2013.
The Dubai hotel was originally set to open in 2011, while the Abu Dhabi launch was scheduled for 2012.
“The project has been delayed,” said a spokesperson for Hard Rock International, without giving a reason for the move.
Hard Rock International and Tasameem Group in 2007 announced the development of a five-star Hard Rock Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, in a community called “Trade Centre Second”.
The 91-floor skyscraper will include 350 hotel rooms and suites, 100 serviced apartments, commercial offices and retail stores.
“Dubai has incredible upside as an international destination and we are excited to introduce our hotel product in this burgeoning city,” Mitchell Cypress, chairman of Hard Rock parent Seminole Tribe of Florida, said in the 2007 statement.
The American Indian Seminole Tribe of Florida bought the company from UK gambling firm Rank Group in 2006.
The Abu Dhabi hotel will be part of Mina Zayed. The project will become an extension of the eastern end of the Abu Dhabi Corniche.
Plans for the hotel include a two-level lobby and the top floor will feature lounges, function and meeting rooms, and a grand ballroom.
UAE hotels have been hit by lower tourist spending amid the international recession.
The average daily rate (ADR) for Dubai hotel rooms in September fell by 8.3 percent on the year, the largest drop in the Middle East, to $175.62, according to hospitality research company STR Global.
Abu Dhabi’s 6.8 percent fall to $200.52 was the second largest decline in the region.
Revenue per available room (revPAR) in the capital fell by 16.9 percent to $129.92, making it one of three Middle East markets posting a decline of more than 15 percent.
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