The London-listed Dubai property developer Damac is to open two new hotels in Business Bay as it aims to complete 10,000 serviced apartments by 2018.
Damac, which sells the apartments off-plan to investors and then rents most of them out through its rental pool, said yesterday that it was on the verge of opening its 18-storey Capital Bay and nearby Cour Jardin serviced apartment blocks in its bid to become the Middle East's largest serviced hotel provider over the next four years.
The company opened its first block of 355 serviced apartments on Dubai Mall Street on New Year’s Eve last year with rates starting at about Dh1,020 a night.
Since then it has opened the 17-storey Naia Downtown Jebel Ali block in Dubai and 211 hotel suites in its Canal Views block, also in Business Bay.
“We currently have more than 10,000 serviced hotel apartments in development, all of which will be delivered by 2018,” said the Damac managing director Ziad El Chaar. “This will position the company as one of the largest hotel apartment operators and developers in the region.”
This month Damac reported that profit during the three months to the end of September doubled to US$224.3 million as the developer benefited from handing over apartments.
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Federer's 11 Wimbledon finals
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2004 Beat Andy Roddick
2005 Beat Andy Roddick
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2012 Beat Andy Murray
2014 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2015 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2017 Beat Marin Cilic
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(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
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