For the fortunate residents of Dar Al Arkan’s magnificent W Residences Dubai — Downtown, it’s like owning their own private W hotel.
Dar Al Arkan Real Estate, the Saudi Arabian-based property development company, has a knack for collaborating with the world’s best in class to erect top-of-the-line living experiences. One such luxury property is the W Residence Dubai — Downtown, located in the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. “That is the first W Residence. All the other W properties include a hotel,” explains the chairman of Dar Al Arkan, SheikhYousef Al Shelash. “This does not have a hotel element, so this is more private.”
Another benefit of Dar Al Arkan’s W Residences Dubai — Downtown is that residents don’t need to deal with any of the crowding and inconveniences associated with people checking in and out of a hotel. Al Shelash refers to that as “the hassle of losing your privacy in that development.” For the lucky occupants of the 384 apartments, the elevated, modern property is their personal W hotel. Al Shelash says residents will enjoy their “own private W spa, the outdoor infinity pool, and the meeting rooms. This is like you own the hotel,” says Al Shelash. In addition, the well-crafted space includes a clubhouse, a modern fitness center, and a walking track.
As the chairman of three big companies — Saudi Home Loans, Alkhair Capital, and Dar Al Arkan — Yousef Al Shelash has close to $15 billion in assets under management. The 28-year-old real estate company is one of the biggest listed real estate businesses in Saudi Arabia. Al Shelash co-founded Saudi Home Loans with his partners in 2007 and took the home loans company, which helped bring mortgages to the Middle East, public earlier this year. His Alkhair Capital is an investment banking company located in Saudi Arabia and the Dubai International Financial Center.
Dubai experienced $35 billion worth of property market transactions in 2021. The real estate development company markets the W Residences Dubai — Downtown to 52 nationalities around the globe. Al Shelash says that’s because it’s “a place where all these nationalities are converging, so already Dubai has provided for us the platform for all of these nationalities who take Dubai as their first home, their second home, their business home, their touristic place, or their weekend place. Luckily, we have so many of these people around us because Dubai has been visionary in building this area since 2002, which is when they started getting very active in doing this.” How does the property developer market the W Residences Dubai — Downtown property? “We market to the people who are in Dubai or who have been to Dubai at one time using many online media tools,” explains Yousef Al Shelash.
According to the company, the W Residences Dubai — Downtown is “born out of the bold attitude and 24/7 culture of New York City. W Hotels has defied expectations, broken down all the norms of traditional luxury, and took it to the next level.” It accomplishes that by creating the magnificent, high-rise property across from the iconic, incredible Burj Khalifa building, in one of the most affluent and sought-after neighborhoods. The enchanting dancing fountains and bustling mall are close by, so there’s always something to see and do when you live at Dubai’s premier W residences.
Yousef Al Shelash’s real estate development company placed the project near Business Bay to ensure that Dubai’s most awe-inspiring landmarks punctuate the residence's one-of-a-kind views. “The sophisticated architecture of the tower recalls the beat of a vibrant city. The perfect repetition of geometric beauty pulsating in the heart of downtown Dubai,” states the company. “Step into a world of rebel luxury. The experience begins in the W Lounge, where a sophisticated and stylish atmosphere awakens your senses. Then, enter one of the exclusive 384 residences, where you will start feeling at home from the very first moment. Enjoy floor-to-ceiling glass facades, and staggered balconies allow plenty of sunlight in every room, while accent wallpapers underline their vibrant personality.”
If you’ve ever wondered what life is like in Dubai, Al Shelash explains, “Imagine you're living in Manhattan, but it's very secure, and taxation is zero. Dar Al Arkan is working in Dubai to provide unique products to those who are investing and want to live in Dubai. So far, the company has only taken plots that are at key locations, either on the water or in the center of downtown, and we have only presented in Dubai cobranded products. The cobranded real estate is the limited edition of real estate. This is a major trend these days in real estate.”
The DaVinci Tower by Pagani is another of the property development company’s cobranded properties in downtown Dubai. According to the company, “Every detail is crafted to obsession, every material is of the finest quality, every line is designed with taste and harmony, resulting in the unique experience of inhabiting a masterpiece. A true homage to Leonardo da Vinci, Horacio Pagani, the super automaker’s ultimate inspiration.”
The real estate developer is also redefining accessible city living with Shams Ar Riyadh, which spans 5 million square meters in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “This is one of the many developments that the company developed as a community over the years. The company developed many communities, but because Shams Ar Riyadh was close to Riyadh, we had the option of developing some of the most luxurious villas, [with] interiors designed by Roberto Cavalli, Versace, and Elie Saab,” says Yousef Al Shelash. “We were able to create more premium products because of its proximity to the city center. This was one of many master plans that the company does.”
He explains that this is part of the process of elevating the real estate developer into a global brand. “It is currently operating in eight countries,” says Al Shelash. He says the developer wants to “show the world another image of what Saudi Arabia is” and explains that by being successful in countries like Dubai, Oman, and Qatar, the real estate development company illustrates “the Saudi values in delivering on promises, and delivering on quality, and delivering on time. This is what we strive to accomplish in our real estate projects.”
