Al Maryah Island apartments: W Residences Abu Dhabi, the capital’s first W-branded homes, due in 2027

In September 2024 Taraf, the property arm of investment group Yas Holding, and Marriott International announced W Residences Abu Dhabi on Al Maryah Island. Until then W-branded homes in the UAE existed only in Dubai — on Palm Jumeirah, at Dubai Harbour, in Downtown and JLT. The capital now has its first.

Ground was broken on 22 January 2025 with NSCC International as main contractor. Listing portals show handover in Q4 2027.

Why Al Maryah

Al Maryah is Abu Dhabi's financial centre: ADGM, bank and fund headquarters and The Galleria mall sit on a small island between downtown and Al Reem, with little land left for housing. Branded homes of this level are rare here, and tenants — mostly finance professionals — pay to walk to work.

There is a regulatory point too: Al Maryah and Al Reem were left outside the rent freeze Abu Dhabi introduced in 2026, as we explain in our rent-freeze piece.

What is on offer

• one- to four-bedroom apartments;
• four-bedroom duplexes;
• five-bedroom penthouses;
• launch prices from about AED 2.2m ($600 000), according to portals;
• payment plan of 10% on booking, 40% during construction and 50% on handover.

Residents get the brand's "Whatever/Whenever" concierge. As with the Dubai W Residences, this is an operator-managed hotel brand rather than a design licence.

How to run the numbers

A branded flat costs more than an unbranded one next door, and the premium pays off only if the operator really runs the building after handover and the district stays short of quality housing. Both hold on Al Maryah for now. The practical risk is the 50% due on completion: if you plan to finance it, check early which banks lend on branded Abu Dhabi stock and at what loan-to-value.

Taraf is known in Dubai for branded villas; its approach is covered in our Taraf profile. For Dubai price comparisons, see W Residences Dubai Downtown and W Residences JLT.

Prices, rents and new projects on the island are collected on our Al Maryah Island page.