DUBAI: The Oberoi group is set to enter Dubai with the opening of its first hotel here in the first quarter of next year, according to media reports.

The long-awaited debut of the Indian company in the UAE will feature 250 rooms and suites, as well as four food and beverage outlets. It will be located on Sheikh Zayed road and "add value to Dubai as a destination," Oberoi Executive Assistant Manager Tapaan Piplani told Hotelier Middle East magazine.

Piplani said the hotel will help increase the tourist traffic from India and the luxury market from that country.

"We are a very strong brand based there with legendary hotels there that have been well covered and talked about," he said.

On the number of new brands entering the country, Piplani said that the new competitors are a nice challenge.

"The big players have been here for a while but I personally believe bringing new brands like Oberoi and Four Seasons will only add value to Dubai as a destination," he was quoted by the magazine as saying.

The company's General Manager Karim Bizid said, "We could have built 300 plus but we decided to make them bigger and increase quality... the quality will be bets in the business, in terms of size and natural light coming in."

