The Dubai developer Nakheel is planning to team up with Thailand’s Centara Hotels & Resorts to build a 550-room resort at its Deira Islands project.

The beachfront resort, which will have its own waterpark, will be the first Centara establishment in the UAE. It will be located close to Nakheel’s Deira Mall and Deira Islands Night Souk.

Centara’s portfolio includes around 67 hotels and resorts under six brands across Asia, Indian Ocean, Africa and the Middle East.

The planned partnership with Centara is Nakheel’s third joint venture for hotels at Deira Islands announced this year. The company is already working on a 750-room resort with Spain’s RIU Hotels & Resorts and a 500-room AVANI resort with Thailand’s Minor Hotel Group.

“We are committed to partnering with reputable international hotel brands to bring new tourism concepts to Dubai,” said Nakheel Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah.

“We are delighted that one of Thailand’s biggest, most popular hotel operators has chosen to invest in Dubai.”

Nakheel’s Deira Islands coastal city will add 40 km, including 21 km of beachfront, to Dubai’s coastline. The project will include hotels and serviced apartments, retail facilities, mixed-use buildings and residential waterside developments.

Nakheel’s joint venture with Centara marks its latest expansion in Dubai’s hospitality sector, with 10 hotels planned at locations across Dubai, of which five are at Deira Islands.

The developer’s hotel portfolio includes the five-star Palm Tower on Palm Jumeirah, two hotels at Ibn Battuta Mall and two at Dragon City.