Oryx Island will also have luxury villas, a water park, and a total of five cruise ships to be used as floating hotels, said Qatari developer Barwa Real Estate which is part owned by Qatar's sovereign wealth fund.
According to Barwa's chief executive Abdulla al-Subaie the hotels would be able to house as many as 25,000 soccer fans.
Demand for residences and hotel rooms are expected to increase in the tiny Gulf Arab state in the run up to the World Cup and Qatar has allocated 40% of its budget from now until 2016 for the funding of infrastructure projects.
Subai said the plan would be that cruise ships could dock for one or two weeks. ‘Oryx Island can accommodate 20,000 to 25,000 people. The floating hotels can be used for a short time span,’ he explained.
‘We anticipate that there will be a short term demand for hotel rooms, so maybe it is not wise to offer all this number of hotel rooms for a longer time,’ he added. But it is early days and Subaie added that the development project is currently in a conceptual phase.
Subaie also said that the company had agreed to sell one million square meters of land to Qatar's 2022 Supreme Committee to build Lusail Stadium, where the closing match of the tournament will take place. A price has not yet been agreed.
Barwa, the Gulf state's largest listed property developer, has properties in France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and focuses on retail, office, hospitality and residential developments.
Last year it announced plans to launch a $4.9 billion mixed use Golf City project in its coastal Lusail city development, which will house 4,000 residential units and a golf course.
Meanwhile, developers in other parts of the world are eager to expand in Qatar. Thailand’s Minor Hotel Group has announced plans to launch its first property in Qatar with the opening of the Anantara Doha Island Resort and Spa in 2014.
The 141 room luxury resort will be set on a 13 hectare island and accessible by speedboat from Doha. Rooms will include a range of over water pool villas, and there will be four swimming pools, including a surf pool with wave machine, an Anantara Spa, 24 hour fitness centre, tennis court, kids’ club, golf putting course, ten pin bowling alley and a cinema.
The island will also be home to a marina accommodating up to 50 boats, while an offshore reef is also being developed allowing guests to scuba dive.
‘The Middle East is a key strategic area of development for Minor Hotel Group and we are actively looking at opportunities to grow not only Anantara but also our Avani and Oaks brands in the region,’ said Dillip Rajakarier, chief executive officer of Minor Hotel Group.
The Anantara Doha Island Resort and Spa add to the brand’s Middle East portfolio, which currently features three properties in Abu Dhabi.
