Schon Properties, a leading private developer in Dubai, and Dubai Civil Engineering, part of Al Hamad Group of Companies, together broke ground on their joint venture project, iSuites, at Dubai Investments Park.

The largest single-site hotel apartment project, iSuites is being developed at an investment of Dh3.2 billion ($871 million). Envisaging smart modern living of functional and futuristic facilities, it will be surrounded by a man-made beach and a lagoon spread over five acres.

The ground-breaking comes within a month of the launch of the joint venture development, thus marking the beginning of a journey to deliver 2,550 hotel apartment keys along with 52 restaurants, outdoor cafes and 125,000-sq-ft shopping mall ahead of the Dubai Expo 2020 gala event.

The fully-serviced hotel apartments are targeting millennials who are interested in urban lifestyle hotel stays, small families coming to Dubai on a short-term corporate assignment or a family vacation, said the developer.

Schon said the ground-breaking ceremony will soon be followed by a flurry of construction activities that will see thousands of workers and construction equipment on ground in the next few months.

The company has already completed the piling and shoring works of the project, which will be connected to the Expo 2020 site, Al Maktoum International Airport and other major attractions through the new Dubai Metro line.