Dubai’s Meydan Group to operate JBR beach club

Meydan Group, the Dubai developer behind the world’s biggest horse-racing complex, has signed a deal to manage a planned beach club at Jumeirah Beach Residence, Arabian Business has learned.The news may indicate progress on the long-delayed club and gyms initially outlined in sales plans shown to landlords by Dubai Properties Group, developer of the AED6bn residences. “There will be a beach club at Jumeirah Beach Residence, and this will be under the Meydan Group,” Dubai Properties Group said in an emailed statement to Arabian Business. The club will be housed in DPG’s former sales office, located on The Walk.DPG declined to specify whether Meydan, which operates Bab Al Shams Hotel Desert Resort & Spa, has bought the beach club or will operate it on its behalf.It is not clear whether tenants will be expected to pay membership fees or will receive free access to the beach club.“Further details will be announced in due course,” the company said.  Letters to homeowners in 2008, before the collapse of Dubai’ real estate market, said plans for four privately-run beach clubs were “well underway”.“Where is the beach club and gym we were promised? Terribly disappointing,” JBR resident Sami said on the community blog in 2009. DPG in May said it planned to spend millions of dollars upgrading facilities at its development after widespread complaints from tenants of poor maintenance.Residents cited lax security, badly maintained communal areas and dirty swimming pools for the declining standard of living in the 36-tower project.“We are serious about improvement in all of our projects,” Khalid Al Malik, Group CEO of Dubai Properties Group told Arabian Business.“The beach club is now going to be completely refurbished and open hopefully by the end of the year. We’re also improving the beach area very soon, in addition to the podium,” he said. “The size of the JBR is massive but we are talking about millions of dirhams. The JBR beach club by itself is going to cost a lot of money, [and] in addition to the beach area, the podium [area] and the services associated or are going to be added to the areas…in the residential areas.”Meydan Group, the company behind the Meydan Heights project, said in February it was looking to open a third hotel in Dubai, this time located on the beach.“Our next move will be beach,” company vice president Abdin Nasralla told Arabian Business. “I cannot confirm it, but I can say that is our thought. I hope that our thoughts will be transferred to reality as we did with Meydan itself.” from / Arabian Business News