Construction is progressing on the Azizi Riviera five-star hotel in Dubai, with the Meydan property scheduled to open in mid-2028 as Azizi Hospitality builds out a wider UAE hotel portfolio worth Dhs 75 billion.
The hotel is taking shape within Azizi Riviera, the waterfront-inspired mixed-use community in Meydan, and has now moved beyond planning into excavation and foundation works. The next major stages will include the main structural build, façade installation and interior fit-out.
For Dubai residents and visitors, the project adds another planned luxury hotel to a rapidly expanding hospitality pipeline in one of the emirate’s major development areas.
Azizi Riviera five-star hotel: what to know
The Azizi Riviera five-star hotel is being designed as more than an accommodation property, with the concept bringing together rooms, restaurants, wellness, leisure and family-oriented facilities under one development.
Planned amenities and experiences include:
Italian and Asian restaurants
Wellness facilities
A gym
Kids’ club
Landscaped outdoor areas
Guest accommodation designed around the wider Riviera community
Azizi Hospitality is also developing the hotel’s operating model alongside its physical construction. That work covers areas including food and beverage, technology, procurement, service standards, wellness and preparations for the eventual pre-opening period.
A full-size hotel room is being built before opening
One of the more unusual elements of the project is a full-scale mock-up of part of the hotel.
Rather than relying solely on drawings and digital plans, the development team is constructing a complete guest room, corridor and lift lobby. The spaces can then be experienced at full scale before the same design decisions are rolled out across the finished property.
The process allows the team to test practical details such as room layouts, materials, movement through shared areas, lighting and the overall guest experience while there is still time to make changes.
Saurabh Bakshi, CEO of Azizi Hospitality, said the mock-up allows the company to test and refine the guest experience and operational details ahead of the project’s later construction stages.
Construction timeline for the Dubai hotel
Work is currently at the excavation and foundation stage.
The planned sequence will then move into the main structural works, followed by mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. Interior fit-out will come later, including furniture, fixtures and equipment.
The final phase will involve testing hotel systems and preparing the property for day-to-day operations before its targeted mid-2028 opening.
That means the hotel is still several construction stages away from welcoming guests, with much of the eventual guest-facing environment yet to be installed.
Azizi’s Dhs 75 billion UAE hotel expansion
The Azizi Riviera project forms part of a much larger hospitality strategy by Azizi Hospitality, the hospitality arm of Azizi Developments and part of Azizi Group.
The company has announced plans to invest Dhs 75 billion in 151 hotels across the UAE, with the majority planned for Dubai. The proposed portfolio is expected to deliver about 60,000 hotel rooms and generate more than 75,000 jobs.
The Riviera hotel therefore represents one property within a substantially larger pipeline rather than an isolated hospitality development.
Azizi Hospitality’s portfolio is intended to cover multiple segments, including four-star, five-star and seven-star hotels. Among its other major projects is a planned seven-star hotel at Burj Azizi, the proposed skyscraper that is planned to become the world’s second-tallest tower.
What the project means for Dubai’s hotel pipeline
The Azizi Riviera hotel will eventually add rooms, dining and leisure facilities to Meydan, an area undergoing substantial residential, commercial and mixed-use development.
For future guests, the most immediate details are the property’s Meydan location, five-star positioning and mid-2028 target opening. For the developer, the project is also being used to establish the design and operating standards that will underpin a broader hospitality expansion across Dubai and the UAE.
Farhad Azizi, Group CEO of Azizi Group, said the company intends for each hotel to have its own character while maintaining a focus on the details that shape the guest experience.
With foundations now underway, the next visible milestone will be the property’s main structural construction, before the project progresses toward its planned 2028 opening.
