Drake & Scull International (DSI) has won a major mechanical, plumbing and engineering (MEP) contract worth Dh85 million ($23 million) for the Rotana Gardenia Hotel and Furnished Apartments in Homs, Syria.

The MEP project, which is the first contract win for DSI in Syria since establishing offices in the country earlier this year, will be developed by Gardenia Real Estate Investment, with the main contractor being SBG - Al Marasem.

'We are extremely  proud of our project win in Syria, a country boasting a promising market - one that offers many potentially lucrative opportunities, particularly in the construction industry,' said Khaldoun Tabari, chief executive of DSI.

Syria's Rotana Gardenia is a five-star hotel with a total built-up area of 84,000 sqm, operated by the Rotana Group and situated in the North-Western section of Homs. The hotel features four basement floors, two floors of banquet halls, three floors of shopping malls, 289 hotel rooms on 26 floors, 16 floors of furnished apartments as well as several other facilities including a restaurant, business centre, swimming pool and health and fitness club.

Work on the project will begin immediately and is scheduled for completion in June 2012.-TradeArabia News Service