The Hilton Worldwide group has signed an agreement with the local Mohamed Ruqait Real Estate Company for a second DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Ras al-Khaimah, in the UAE.

The DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Marjan island is expected to open at the beginning of 2014 and will be built on one of the five man-made Marjan islands, located off the Al-Hamra area of Ras al-Khaimah.

“Today’s announcement represents another important step in our ongoing commitment to the region and our continued expansion across the Middle East and Africa,” says Rudi Jagersbacher, president, Middle East and Africa region, Hilton Worldwide.

The planned Hilton resort will have 309 rooms, which will feature 11 suites in the main building and 45 beachfront chalets. The resort will also include two pools, a kids club, a health club and spa with five treatment rooms, and water sports facilities. The hotel will also contain two restaurants, a lobby and two bars.

The Hilton Worldwide Group operates 53 properties in the Middle East and Africa region, which includes more than 15,500 rooms across 17 different countries. The hotel operator has a development pipeline within the region of another 39 properties.

One of the upcoming projects is the new Hilton hotel planned for Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. In December 2011, the local Al-Latifia Trading & Contracting Company was awarded an estimated SR1.8bn ($480m) contract to build the new hotel.

The Hilton Riyadh Hotel & Residence will be located on Riyadh’s Eastern Ring Road, a major route linking the King Khalid International airport with the downtown area of Riyadh.

The development will comprise two towers – one 20-storey tower containing 480 hotel rooms and a 14-storey tower with 350 hotel apartments. In addition to guestrooms, the hotel will contain several restaurants and two outdoor lounge areas. The development will also house eight meeting rooms, two boardrooms, a business centre, separate male and female ballrooms and a junior ballroom.

The hotel will also have leisure and recreational facilities, including a spa and health club, and swimming pool. It is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2013 (MEED 5:1:12).