R Hotels has announced plans for a 182-room hotel on Ajman Corniche, set to be developed at a cost of $40.9 million (AED150m).

Construction of the property is expected to begin in the third quarter of this year, with completion targeted for Q1 2017. The hotel will be located beside the Ramada Beach Hotel Ajman, also owned and managed by R Hotels.

“Ajman is a very attractive market for us. In line with our expansion plan, this project comes in at a suitable time to accommodate the demands of the growing market in the emirate,” commented Sumair Tariq, managing director, R Hotels.

The upcoming hotel, targeted towards the leisure and corporate segments, will feature rooms with sea views, a restaurant, spa and fitness centre, and indoor swimming pool.

Tariq said he was positive about the demand for hotel rooms in the coming years in the UAE’s smallest emirate. “The Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) has been actively tapping different markets like China, and our hotels are also beefing up our nationality mix with arrivals from Turkey, Germany, Oman, and Eastern Europe. We are expecting higher room demand in the next couple of years, as confirmed by the opening and announcements of new hotels in Ajman.”

R Hotels, headquartered in Ajman, owns and manages the Ramada Hotel and Suites Ajman as well as the Ramada Beach Hotel Ajman, opened in 2013.

The new hotel on Ajman Corniche will be the group’s third property in the emirate and its seventh in the UAE. R Hotels’ portfolio currently includes four operational hotels, with a fifth set to open in Q3 2015 in Jumeirah, Dubai. Its sixth property will be a four-star resort and spa at The Palm Jumeirah with a target opening date of Q4 2016.