Al Areen Holding Company and Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts have finalised the interior design concepts of their mixed-use $750 million tourism complex during top-level talks held in Bahrain, senior officials announced.

The managements of both the firms reviewed the latest spa designs and concepts, landscaping and external finish to make the project state-of-the-art, they added.
“The Resort and Spa is being developed at an investment of $100 million and will form the central attraction of Al Areen development, spread over 112,000 sq m,” said Al Areen Holding Company (Al Areen) vice-chairman Esam Janahi.
“Our estimates are that the complex will attract some 90,000 visitors a year when complete next year,” he said.
The Al Areen Development is now being developed at a rapid pace in Sakhir.
Work under way on the Resort  and Spa in Sakhir is reported to be on schedule to accommodate guests by the end of March next year.
The project's client relations centre has been up and running since the foundation stone was laid over two months ago.
Work is ongoing on the spa itself, which costs over $100 million and includes over 70 villas available for rent.
The project, co-owned by Gulf Finance House (GFH) and the Bahrain government, will include infrastructure such as retail facilities, a water park and restaurants. Plots of land have also been sold to investors to be developed independently, which should speed up the project.
The entire project, estimated to cost over $750 million, is being built on a site measuring 2 million sq m and is scheduled for completion by 2008. Around 16,000 to 20,000 people are expected to live and work there.