Dubai, UAE 19th September 2016:  The team behind the Ahasees Spa and Club at Dubai’s Grand Hyatt hotel were last night celebrating after their secluded desert oasis was named the region’s finest Hotel Spa in one of the most hotly contested categories at the 4th annual Middle East Pool and Spa Awards.

Judges lavished praise on the spa’s vast facilities, tireless staff and serene Zen-inducing atmosphere, allowing it to take home one of the night’s most sought-after gongs.

The Pearl Spa at the Four Seasons Resort, Jumeirah Beach, scooped this year’s Best Resort Spa award, and the Heart & Soul Spa, Al Barari, was crowned Best Independent Spa, as those behind the most breath-taking retreats across the Gulf gathered for the prestigious annual ceremony.

Taking place after the second day of The Leisure Show Dubai – which concludes today at the Dubai World Trade Centre – at the Steigenberger Hotel Business Bay, Dubai, the Middle East Pool and Spa Awards pay tribute to the region’s booming market, earlier this year valued at a massive AED 11 billion per annum. 

Gary Williams, Event Director at dmg events, commented: “What last night’s awards have shown once again is just how incredible our pool and spa facilities and all those running them truly are. They are world leaders in excellence, ingenuity and therapeutic advancements and together have brought the Middle East to the forefront of the global market, a region now capable of rivaling anywhere else in the world. Every single one of our entries had the merits to take home an award; their individual quality making the task of whittling down even a shortlist nigh on impossible. To all our nominations and winners, I would like to send my utmost congratulations.”

Speaking after picking up the prize for Best Hotel Spa, Rutu Tawde, Spa and Recreation Manager at the Ahasees Spa & Club, said: “We are so excited to have won such a prestigious award. I can only put our success down to our fantastic team who give their absolute best when it comes to creating truly memorable guest experiences. The Middle East Pool and Spa Awards is such a great platform where you can meet so many brilliant people from across the industry and really understand where the business is today. To win amongst such company makes us so proud.”

Along with the more traditional categories came a raft of new awards for 2016, celebrating the advancement of therapies and new treatments.

The new additions included gongs for Best Innovative Body Treatment, Best Hydrotherapy Treatment and Best Signature Facial, which themselves epitomized how the region has stayed ahead of the curve when it comes to the latest international trends. 

The Spa at The Palace Downtown Dubai walked off with two awards – Best Signature Body Treatment and Best Men's Spa., as did LivNordic Spa & Wellness, based in the Cayan Tower, that won Best Body Massage and Best Spa Design.

Other winners included: Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont The Palm; Remède Spa, The St Regis Doha; Saray Spa, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai; RE Salons and Spas; Mantra Ayurveda Clinic; and the Talise Spa at Madinat Jumeirah.

In the pool categories, Kempinski Hotel & Residences Palm Jumeirah Dubai was named the best designed residential pool, while the Amara Spa at Park Hyatt Dubai won the prize for Best Commercial Pool Design.

Aquaventure Waterpark at Atlantis, The Palm, was crowned the region’s Best Aqua Leisure Venue.

Forecasters predict considerable future growth across the Middle East pool and spa market. By 2019, the continuing boom in health, wellness and medical tourism will have increased the industry’s worth by 21.6%.

Daniella Russell, spa consultant at dR Global and compere at last night’s awards, said: “The spa footprint firmly printed in our desert sand is one of unrivalled luxury, sumptuousness and magnificence. Our properties are famed internationally for their grandeur; our unique take on traditional treatments and therapies are raved about the world over; and the mastery and passion of our thousands of therapists are known to guarantee the ultimate in relaxation, all in a heavenly oasis away from the desert heat.”

Today is the final day of exhibiting at The Leisure Show, co-located with both The Hotel Show and Piscine Middle East at the Dubai World Trade Centre.