Dubai’s Wasl Asset Management Group has extended the tender closing date by one week to 18 September for the contract to build the extension to the Meridien hotel in the Garhoud area close to Dubai International airport.

The prospective bidders include:

• Alec (Local)
• Al-Futtaim Carillion (Local/UK)
• Al-Habtoor Leighton Group (Local/Australia)
• Arabian Construction Company (ACC) (Lebanon)
• Arabtec Construction (Local)
• Khansaheb Civil Engineering (Local)
• Multiplex (Australia)

The project involves building an eight-story five-star hotel with a built-up area of 26,000 square metres. The contract duration is 450 days (MEED 8:8:11).

The local Arch Group Consultants is the consultant for the scheme.

The extension work involves building two basement floors, a ground floor and five upper floors. The extension will cover a total area of 36,000 square metres and increase the capacity of the hotel by 163 rooms to bring the total number of rooms to 301. The works will also add 10 private dining rooms to the complex.

The Meridien is the latest expansion planned for an existing hotel in Dubai. In July 2010, the local Khansaheb Civil Engineering won a AED250m ($68m) contract to carry out the extension work at the Ritz Carlton hotel at Dubai Marina (MEED 8:10:10).