When buyers ask me about VELA Viento, the question is usually some version of this: is it simply a less expensive way into VELA, and has the price already run? It is a fair question for an off-plan building on the Marasi Bay waterfront, so I went to the registered sales rather than the brochure.
How the building has sold since launch
VELA Viento launched in July 2024. Since then the Dubai Land Department has registered 36 developer sales in the building, against 97 residences in the market data. The pattern by year is calm rather than dramatic:
- 2024: 18 sales, median AED 6,116 per sq ft
- 2025: 9 sales, median AED 6,251 per sq ft
- 2026 to date: 9 sales, median AED 6,238 per sq ft
Over the last twelve months there were 11 registered sales at a median of AED 6,270 per sq ft, up 1.56% on the year before. Volume over the same period was down 52.17%. In plain terms, the launch window did most of the early selling, and since then the building has traded at a slower pace at a price that has barely moved.
I read that as a sign of a developer holding its price rather than chasing volume. It also means that buyers today are paying close to what early buyers paid per sq ft, which is not always the case with prime off-plan launches in Dubai.
VELA Viento against VELA
The obvious comparison is its neighbour. Across 24 developer sales, VELA registered a median of AED 6,810 per sq ft. Over the last twelve months VELA recorded only two sales, at a median of AED 7,500 per sq ft. Two sales are too few to call a trend, and I would treat that figure as an indication only.
On a like-for-like basis, VELA Viento's 36 developer sales registered at a median of AED 6,210 per sq ft, roughly 9% below VELA. The difference is not a reflection of quality so much as of product. VELA is a smaller collection of very large residences, delivered fully fitted and fully furnished. VELA Viento offers a wider mix, from two-bedroom residences to duplexes, which naturally brings the average price per sq ft down.
Both sit well above the wider area. The median for Business Bay as a whole is around AED 2,500 per sq ft, which puts VELA Viento at about two and a half times the area level. That gap is the Dorchester Collection premium in numbers: buyers are paying for service, design and scarcity, not only the waterfront.
What the off-plan terms mean for a buyer
The market data shows handover scheduled for May 2027 and construction at around 22% complete. The standard payment plan recorded is 5% on booking, 55% during construction and 40% on handover. Payment plans can change, so I always confirm the current terms with OMNIYAT before a buyer commits.
A plan like this means most of the capital is committed before the keys. That is worth weighing honestly. It suits a buyer who wants a new residence on their own timetable and is comfortable with construction risk on a developer with a strong delivery record at this level. It suits a buyer looking for a quick turn far less, because the resale market in an off-plan building with a stable price is thin.
What drives value here
In my experience, three things. The first is the design: interiors by Gilles & Boissier, with OMNIYAT Atelier available to owners who want to take a residence further. The second is the service model of a Dorchester Collection residence, which tends to matter more once a building is complete and lived in. We saw this at One at Palm, where prices moved most after handover. The third is the waterfront itself, and the fact that very little comparable product exists in Marasi Bay.
None of that is a promise of a price after completion, and I would not make one. What the data does show is a building that has held its price per sq ft through a slower sales period, at a measured discount to VELA.
So, is it a less expensive VELA?
Per sq ft, yes, by a margin the data supports. As a product, I would put it differently: VELA Viento is a broader collection for buyers who want the Dorchester Collection standard in a residence that does not need to be one of the largest in the city. The right choice between the two depends on size, layout and how you intend to live in it.
If you would like to compare specific layouts or the current availability, send me a private enquiry.
Sources: Dubai Land Department registered sales via DXB Interact (annual and twelve-month medians and volumes, all sale types, for VELA Viento By Omniyat and VELA By Omniyat; Business Bay project-level median), plus handover date, construction progress and payment plan as recorded in the same data, as of 20 October 2026. A single anomalous 2023 registration at VELA Viento is excluded from the annual figures. Figures are aggregates; this article is for information only and is not investment advice.