Al Habtoor Polo Resort Villas

Al Habtoor Group is one of Dubai's oldest family conglomerates and the developer of Al Habtoor City, the hotel and residential complex on Sheikh Zayed Road.

The group's interests run well beyond property, into hotels, motor distribution and education, and that hospitality background shapes how it develops: its flagship residential project sits inside a complex of hotels with the amenity that implies.

What do they build?

High end residential towers and hotels, generally as part of a single large mixed use development rather than scattered across the city. Al Habtoor City combines three residential towers with hotels, restaurants, a tennis academy and a theatre, on the Dubai Water Canal.

Where do they build?

• Sheikh Zayed Road and Business Bay, where Al Habtoor City sits on the water canal.
• Hotels across Jumeirah and the wider city.

What should you check before buying?

• Floor and aspect, since canal and skyline views carry a real premium and are the reason to be in a building like this.
• Service charges, which in a hotel serviced residential tower are at the top end of the Dubai range. Model the yield with the actual figure.
• What hotel facilities residents can use, and on what terms, because this is often assumed rather than checked.
• Short let rules in the building, if letting is part of your plan.

Are they a safe developer to buy from?

The group is long established, privately held and operates its own hotels, which means it stays involved after construction rather than handing over and leaving. That tends to keep standards up. The considerations are the usual ones at the premium central end: high service charges, a small pool of comparable units, and a resale market that is thinner and more sentiment driven than the mid market.