More than 20 new hotels are in the pipeline in Ras Al Khaimah as the emirate moves to quadruple its hospitality capacity to 25,000 keys by 2032, driven by rising investor interest and anchored by the Wynn Al Marjan Island resort.
“We need to double the hotel keys within the next three to four years, and then double it again after 2030,” Marjan Hospitality CEO Alison Grinnell told Arabian Business in an interview. “Ideally, when we are more stabilised, we’re talking about 24,000 to 25,000 hotel keys from around 8,000 today.”
Grinnell said the city’s hotel development pipeline now includes a mix of international luxury and boutique brands such as JW Marriott, W, Nikki Beach, Nobu, Fairmont and Four Seasons.
“It’s a very diverse landscape, and that’s what makes Ras Al Khaimah special,” she said. “We’re seeing growth across all segments, from luxury to lifestyle and boutique, and a significant rise in interest for branded residences.”
She noted that branded residences are increasingly being added to hotel rental pools, effectively functioning as hotel keys.
“The lines between hospitality and residential are blurring,” she said, adding that this hybrid model was attracting new investors and creating additional flexibility in how developments are managed.
The expansion will also bring major job creation, with new accommodation being built to house thousands of hospitality staff.
“Wynn alone employs over 9,000 people,” Grinnell said. “We’ve already opened our first hospitality employee village housing 2,300 people and are now developing another 7,500 rooms to accommodate the growing workforce.”
Hospitality boom reshapes Ras Al Khaimah
Ras Al Khaimah’s tourism growth accelerated following the Wynn announcement, which placed the emirate on the global map for luxury and integrated resorts.
“Wynn brought international visibility, but what’s important is that it also attracted new categories of investors,” Grinnell said. “We’re seeing new operators entering the market for the first time, and that diversity of brands strengthens the destination overall.”
Marjan and RAK Hospitality Holding announced a merger on Wednesday to form a single entity under the Marjan name, bringing together Ras Al Khaimah’s real estate, hospitality and lifestyle divisions under one platform to streamline large-scale development.
Donald Bremner, CEO of Marjan Lifestyle, told Arabian Business the broader strategy now extends beyond hotels to include cultural and recreational assets.
“Our job is to ensure the social and cultural fabric is built into the master plans,” he said. “We’re developing convention centres, theatres and community spaces that make Ras Al Khaimah a place where people not only visit but also want to live and return to.”
The hospitality expansion forms part of Ras Al Khaimah’s wider goal under RAK Vision 2030 to attract 3.5 million visitors annually and position the emirate as one of the Middle East’s leading lifestyle and investment destinations.
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