Another landmark in Dubai says goodbye

DUBAI - The curtains came down on one of Dubai’s oldest hotels, The Metropolitan, on Shaikh Zayed Road, as old-timers came together for one last time at the iconic venue.

A popular weekend getaway for local residents, the hotel will give way to house the “region’s largest integrated hotel complex” which will have three new hotels creating 1,600 hotel rooms.

Khalaf Al Habtoor, chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, gave an account of the hotel’s early days. “The history of this place dates back to late 1976 when I was called by the Late Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum to his palace in Zabeel. At 6am, he took me in his car to the plot of land where we stand today. In simple words, he instructed me to build a hotel,” recollected Al Habtoor.

The hotel welcomed its first visitors in 1978 while work was still on at the site. The food and beverage outlets at the venue soon became a popular hangout spot for expats who frequented the place for a country feel.

Speaking with Khaleej Times, Al Habtoor remembered some of the best moments spent at his hotel, as he said, “I can never forget the hotel was a venue of choice for the city’s best events. The first motor show and horse race took place in the hotel’s gardens,” said Habtoor.

The road connecting the hotel to Dubai was almost non-existent as cars drove on desert terrain. “There were no highways at that time. It was a simple two-way road with one lane for people travelling either way.”

The Metropolitan was the first hotel built on Shaikh Zayed Road when it opened. Today, the road bustles with traffic. The iconic Burj Khalifa, Emaar Downtown and Business Bay have added to the glitz and glamour as the old Metropolitan hotel remains a witness to the city’s rapid growth.

While the new hotel development will include even bigger and better lifestyle and luxury outlets, the old-timers will miss it for all the memories it brought to them.

“I am sad about the hotel’s demolition but this will give way to a bigger project which will support the country’s development,” concluded Al Habtoor.

muaz@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE