For the first time, local hospitality group Jumeirah Group is venturing into North Africa, after signing an agreement with SGTM Immobilier to supervise a luxury golf and polo resort in Morocco.

The resort is situated seven kilometers south of Marrakech; and it is planned to open in three stages from January 2013.

The whole resort will extend over 177 hectares, with the Atlas Mountains as the backdrop.

Three five-star hotels will be there in the Jumeirah Golf and Polo Resort. There will be 230 rooms and suites, in addition to that 50 luxury villas. These include a deluxe golf hotel, complete with 18-hole golf course, clubhouse and academy.

Two polo fields and one practice course would be included in the boutique polo hotel, which itself will have 100 rooms.

There would be 300 rooms and suites, a spa, souq and residential villas in the third hotel.

Other services would include restaurants, bars, lounges and a 2,500 square metre Talise spa.

Gerald Lawless, executive chairman of Jumeirah Group, said in a statement: "Marrakech is truly the heartbeat of Morocco and possesses a rich and varied cultural inheritance. Jumeirah Group is proud to have our roots in the Arabian culture and we look forward to offering our guests a unique and authentic, world-class, luxury experience within Morocco."

A contract has been signed by Jumeirah for the hotels in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan. There are also plans to run more hotels in China.