Rotana, a hotel group headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, is developing 40 properties and 8,334 rooms over the next five to six years, a quarter of them in Saudi Arabia. Each opening requires furniture, fixtures and contract supplies (FFE). There is no single tender: access to specifications comes through each project's brand standards, interior designer and procurement process. For Italian wood-furniture businesses, early qualification matters, before specifications are locked in.
| Client | Rotana, a hotel group headquartered in the United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|
| Scope | Furniture, finishes and contract supplies (FFE) for new hotels and residences |
| Portfolio | 78 operating properties, 40 in development for 8,334 rooms |
| Markets | UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Somalia, Georgia, Lebanon and Turkey |
| Timeline | Openings staggered over the next five to six years |
| Channel | Accreditation with the operator, interior designer and procurement team of each project |
Rotana operates 78 properties and has 40 in development, totalling 8,334 rooms. Chief Executive Officer Philip M. Barnes places the openings within the next five to six years, while noting that the number of projects could shift to 35 or 45. The plan will bring around 5,000 new jobs, in addition to the current 10,000 employees. Saudi Arabia alone accounts for a quarter of the pipeline, with 10 properties and 1,404 rooms: a supplier qualified on UAE projects can also put itself forward for Saudi sites.
The scope is not static: in October 2024 the group counted 82 operating hotels and 43 projects for 9,049 rooms. Since then some properties have opened and others have entered the portfolio. The flow of new specifications therefore does not end with a single announcement: it is a sequence that renews itself project by project, which is what makes accreditation with the operator and design studios worthwhile before individual contracts go out to tender.
The UAE hotel market is moving at two speeds: in the first half of 2026, RevPAR fell by 31.8%, with average occupancy at 57.9%, but from May the recovery was marked, with occupancy in Dubai reaching 82% in August. Rotana has not cut staff and estimates 2026 profit at around 80% of 2025 levels. Room supply, however, continues to grow: at the end of March 2026, 9,716 rooms were under construction in the UAE in the higher-end segments, of which 5,503 were luxury rooms, the territory closest to what Italian contract furnishing offers.
For an Italian wood-furniture business, the distribution channel already exists: in 2025 the sector exported €497 million worth of goods to the UAE, up 5.8%, making it the sector's seventh-largest market. What is often missing is timing: in hotel contracting, brand standards set the requirements, the designer translates them into the FFE specification, and procurement qualifies manufacturers, with a sample room to be approved before ordering. Those who present themselves once the specification is already closed find it locked in.
Among the projects made public are Rotana Ras Al Khaimah – The Mangroves (258 rooms, opening expected in 2026), Bloom Arjaan by Rotana in Marsa Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi (217 apartments, opened in August 2026) and Edge Riyadh Al Rabie (71 rooms, opened in 2026). These are followed by The Residences by Rotana at Thakher in Mecca (240 apartments, signed in 2026), Edge by Rotana Beirut (95 units, January 2027), Signature Rotana Islamabad (522 rooms, 2027), Pontus Rotana Resort and Spa in Gonio, Georgia (546 rooms, 2027), a ski resort in Gudauri, Georgia (around 400 rooms, signed in June 2026) and Rayhaan Cairo New Capital, expected in 2030.
The 40 projects in development have not been listed in full by Rotana: these are only the ones mentioned by the group or the press. What remains clear is that the pipeline spans eight different markets, from the UAE and Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, Georgia, Lebanon and Egypt, and that each project generates its own FFE specification, independent of the others.
| Rotana Ras Al Khaimah - The Mangroves | 258 rooms, opening expected 2026 |
|---|---|
| Bloom Arjaan by Rotana, Abu Dhabi | 217 apartments, opened August 2026 |
| Edge Riyadh - Al Rabie | 71 rooms, opened 2026 |
| The Residences by Rotana at Thakher, Mecca | 240 apartments, signed 2026 |
| Signature Rotana Islamabad | 522 rooms, 2027 |
| Pontus Rotana Resort and Spa, Gonio | 546 rooms, 2027 |
There is no single tender in hotel contracting. Brand standards set the requirements, the interior designer translates them into the FFE specification, and the procurement office qualifies manufacturers; before ordering, a sample room, known as the mock-up, is approved. For a branded hotel with over 100 rooms, between one and one and a half years typically pass between the closing of the specification and opening: those who arrive late find the specifications already locked in.
The FFE budget for a five-star hotel in the Gulf starts at AED 130,000 per room and can exceed AED 220,000, according to a commercial benchmark: this is an indicative order of magnitude, not an official statistic. For focused-service hotels the range drops to AED 35,000-55,000, and for upper-midscale to AED 65,000-95,000. Demand is concentrated in the luxury segment, with 5,503 rooms under construction in the UAE: this is the territory in which Italian design is most recognised.
| Focused-service | AED 35,000-55,000 per room |
|---|---|
| Upper-midscale | AED 65,000-95,000 per room |
| Luxury, five-star | AED 130,000-over 220,000 per room |
Italy starts from a solid base: in 2025 the wood-furniture sector exported €497 million worth of goods to the UAE, up 5.8%, making it the sector's seventh-largest market. From the province of Monza e Brianza alone, furniture worth €45 million was exported, up 3.5%. Where local references exist, they should be placed at the forefront of the qualification dossier.
The Hotel Show and INDEX were held at Expo City Dubai from 28 to 30 September 2026: they remain the most direct meeting point with designers and procurement teams for individual projects. Presence at the fair, together with a hospitality dossier featuring high-end references, is often the first step towards entering the radar of the design studios responsible for the specifications.
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Data drawn from Rotana press releases, Zawya, The National, Khaleej Times, Gulf News, MICE and More, Arab News, CoStar/Reuters, FederlegnoArredo and BSA Trading, consulted on 6 October 2026. The FFE budget is a commercial benchmark, not an official statistic; the number of projects, timelines and specifications should be verified case by case with the direct source. Updated as of 6 October 2026.
Mandati Internazionali tracks the opening of Rotana's specifications in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and presents qualified Italian businesses to the procurement teams and design studios of individual projects.
