Fifty percent of the USD27.23 million renovation project, Al Bait Hotel in Sharjah, has been developed, as announced by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq). The new hotel, which is expected to be a prestigious hospitality and heritage landmark located in the Heart of Sharjah is being developed to provide a premium array of hospitality services and luxurious experiences to its guests, and to raise the bar for the expanding cultural and authentic tourism sector in Sharjah. Scheduled for completion by H2 2017, the new hotel is inspired by the historic heritage and traditional Emarati lifestyle, which is preserved and restored all throughout the Heart of Sharjah project, carefully tailored through the hotel's mix of modern and traditional design and lifestyle offering. Guests at the 5-star hotel will receive the unique opportunity to experience an authentic living experience through the hotel's interior and exterior designs, indulging in one of the rarest traditional and cultural tourism memories. "Al Bait Hotel is an extremely important project for both Sharjah and the UAE. It marks the first heritage development of its type in the region, especially that it's located in the center of the Heart of Sharjah - a place that first hosted our forefathers 6,000 years ago. The new hotel is expected to deliver 54 keys to a variety of guests arriving from different parts of the world," said Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, COO of Shurooq.