Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara opens its doors in the Sultanate of Oman bringing the luxury hospitality brand Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas to the stunning coastal location of Salalah in the southern province of Dhofar on the Arabian Sea.
6 November 2016: Rotana, one of the leading hospitality management companies in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe, is driving forward its ambitious vision of operating 100 hotels by 2020, with the opening of 16 new properties by 2017.
Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) Hampton by Hilton brand, the global mid-priced hotel that serves value-conscious and quality-driven travelers around the world, today announced the opening of its newest property, Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton LAX El Segundo. The 171-room hotel joins the family of Hampton Inn by Hilton and Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton hotels. Located at 888 N. Sepulveda Blvd., the new hotel is managed by OTO Development.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has signed a management agreement with RAK National Hotels ("RAKNH"), an owner of hotels and resorts in Ras Al Khaimah, a subsidiary of RAK Hospitality Holding ("RAKHH"), and Al Hamra Real Estate Development ("AHRED"), marking its entry into the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. The brand will manage The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach and The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert, growing the brand's footprint in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to five by 2017.
JLL, the world's leading real estate investment and advisory firm, has announced it is expanding its breadth of services in the Hotels & Hospitality Group (H&HG) in the MENA region.
Westin Hotels and Resorts, part of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR), today announced the opening of Egypt's best kept secret, The Westin Cairo Golf Resort & Spa Katameya Dunes. Owned by New Cairo for Real Estate Investment Company, the resort and spa is located in the prestigious, residential community of Katameya Dunes, anchored by a 27-hole championship golf course designed by world- renowned Nick Faldo and Brian Curley. With Westin's signature wellness initiatives offered for global travelers and local residents alike, the hotel is poised to set a new standard for well-being in Cairo.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the world's leading luxury hospitality company, and Alshaya, a leading international retail franchise operator, today announced plans for a Four Seasons hotel in Kuwait. Located in downtown Kuwait City, Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya will open in early 2017 as part of Alshaya's new Burj Alshaya mixed-use development.Featuring two soaring glass towers, the 140,000 square metre (1.5 million square foot) Burj Alshaya complex will combine modern architecture, avant-garde luxury and bold design cues to create a prestigious backdrop for business and a new focal point of the city's elite social scene. A modern haven in Kuwait City, the 284-room Four Seasons Hotel will be located in the Burj Alshaya's 22- storey Eastern Tower."Kuwait City is one of the most important commercial centres in the Gulf States, attracting regional and international business travellers, and a natural choice for Four Seasons as we continue to extend our presence across the Middle East," says J. Allen Smith, President and CEO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. "We are excited to partner with Alshaya and mark our entry into Kuwait as part of the Burj Alshaya complex, a stunning addition to the Kuwait City skyline that will transform luxury hospitality in this city." Continues Smith, "Soon Kuwaiti travellers, already very familiar with Four Seasons properties internationally, will have an opportunity to experience at home what they have come to know and love about Four Seasons – the highly personalised service and attention to detail that marks every Four Seasons experience." The 43-storey Western Tower, set to open in 2018, will provide a new high tech corporate headquarters for the Alshaya group of companies, including offices for employees of its retail franchise business - which operates 70 international retail brands in over 3,000 stores across the Middle East, North Africa, Russia, Turkey, and Europe, and which employs more than 46,000 people. "The creation of this combined hotel and office development is a reflection of Alshaya's continued investment in its home market of Kuwait," commented Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman of Alshaya. "We are delighted to be bringing the acclaimed Four Seasons brand to Kuwait, as well as creating a world-class office environment for our employees that will support our continued growth and expansion. We are proud to contribute to Kuwait's future in a number of ways, not only through our real estate investment in this iconic development, but also through our commitment to growing Alshaya's private sector and through the creation of employment opportunities for Kuwaitis."Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya will offer both indoor and outdoor pools, creating an urban resort oasis complete with a poolside waterfall, lush greenery and outdoor cabanas. The Hotel will also feature a world-class spa, yoga studio and state-of-the-art fitness centre as well as two ballrooms and a range of conference and banqueting rooms able to welcome up to 2000 people.Elevating Kuwait's dining scene, the Hotel will also include five dynamic food and beverage offerings, attracting local and international gourmands alike. A rooftop pan-Asian restaurant, open-kitchen Italian restaurant, sleek lobby lounge, and poolside restaurant are among the outlets that the Hotel will offer.
CapitaLand's wholly owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), continues to extend its footprint in the Middle East to capture a bigger share of the market, by clinching contracts to manage another three properties in Saudi Arabia, including its first in the Islamic holy city of Makkah. The 280-unit Ascott Makkah, 92-unit Ascott Villas Riyadh and 69-unit Spectrums Residence in Jeddah are all slated to open in 2017.
Rotana, one of the leading hotel management companies in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe, and SHUAA Capital Saudi Arabia, officially announced at a press conference the opening of Centro Shaheen Jeddah, the group's first property to open under "Centro by Rotana" brand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SHUAA Capital is the Fund Manager and Developer of this joint project.
Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) Hampton by Hiltonbrand, the global mid-priced hotel that serves value-conscious and quality-driven travelers around the world, today announced the opening of its newest property, Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Minneapolis University Area. The 117-room hotel joins the Hampton by Hilton family of Hampton by Hilton and Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton hotels. Located at 2812 University Avenue, the hotel is managed by Minneapolis Hotel Ventures, LLC.
Situated along the pristine Alamein coastline (Egypt's 'White Med'), Emaar Egypt's resort development on the Mediterranean, Marassi is a 1,500-acre luxury resort destination that continues to pioneer the development of the region with the debut of Marina Residence Phase Two. The Marina Residence apartments, ranging in size from one-bedroom to four-bedroom penthouses, are situated to seamlessly connect to a vibrant waterfront promenade with direct access to the Marina and captivating views over the canal and signature golf course. As the recipient of the Leisure & Tourism Project Award at the 2013 and 2014 Cityscape Awards for Real Estate in Egypt, Marassi was founded in 2006 with a core vision to become the premier 'stay and play' destination in the Middle East and a tourist attraction for the European high-end market. Located just West of the Nile River Delta, Marassi is conveniently connected by the Trans-African highway to Alexandria and Cairo along with two nearby regional airports. Marassi is situated directly on the Mediterranean and commands the best location on the North Coast of the Alamein. With a minimum of nine months of sunshine annually and continuous Mediterranean Sea winds, the Alamein coastline offers the ideal resort destination climate. Marassi embodies the essence of White Med living with pristine sandy beaches, Maldives-like water and untouched landscapes. Marassi will ultimately feature nine hotels and twenty residential enclaves, all with distinct character overlooking a world-class marina and spectacular Mediterranean beaches. The 624-hectare Town Center will be the signature gateway to Marassi for residents, guests and visitors alike. As the heart of the Marassi community, the Town Center will feature a 295-slip state-of-the-art marina surrounded by a grand mixed-use promenade that includes waterfront shopping, dining and numerous entertainment venues. Combined with the championship Marassi Golf Clubhouse and Academy along with endless water amenities, Marassi provides residents and visitors an unrivalled premier lifestyle in the region. An integrated design project by WATG's Irvine studio, Marassi is a crisp yet relaxed architectural design that leverages the extraordinary Mediterranean views. Each residential and commercial element of Marassi features its own unique design concept, creating a visually compelling, dynamic community atmosphere. Landscaping is fully leveraged with natural native plantings defined by water features that include pools, lagoons and fountains which meander through the neighbourhood parks, giving each residential element its own unique sense of place within the larger community.
About Emaar Misr (Egypt) Emaar Misr is a leading developer of premium lifestyle communities in Egypt. It is a majority owned subsidiary of Emaar Properties PJSC, a publicly-listed real estate company based in the United Arab Emirates and developer of the world's highest tower, Burj Khalifa. Emaar Misr's landbank of 15.4 million square meters is distributed among four prime locations strategically located in East, West and Central Cairo as well as Egypt's Mediterranean coast. The current development portfolio of Emaar Misr includes Uptown Cairo, a pioneering master-planned community, located in the centre of Cairo and designed to feature Emaar Square, a vibrant central hub. Emaar Misr's other projects are Marassi, a tourism-oriented lifestyle destination on the North Coast, and Mivida, a new benchmark in residential development About Marassi An Emaar Misr (Egypt) 1,500-acre development overlooking the mesmerising turquoise waters of the Mediterranean and ideally situated along the Alamein coastline, Marassi today is a fully integrated living community with fine restaurants, sports activities and exciting nightlife. Its is a resort hub for Egypt's elite with neighbourhoods inspired by six different Mediterranean lifestyles including Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Greece, Spain and Italy. 125 kilometres from enchanting Alexandria and only a few kilometres from El Alamein, Marassi is the upcoming gateway to Egypt, sending out worldwide invitations across the Mediterranean Sea. About WATG & Wimberly Interiors WATG is one of the world's leading integrated design firms and ranked as 2nd in the world among hotel architectural firms. WATG's interior design group, Wimberly, was ranked 11th by Interior Design Magazine in their 2015 Hospitality Giants survey. With over 70 years of design excellence, WATG and Wimberly have become the world's leading design consultants in the industry since starting in Hawaii in 1945. With offices in Irvine, Beverly Hills, Seattle, Chicago, New York, London, Miami, Istanbul, Dubai, Singapore, Shanghai and Honolulu, the multi-disciplinary design firm is best known for creating internationally acclaimed destinations in 160 countries across six continents. WATG offers integrated design solutions comprising strategy, planning, architecture, landscape, and interiors for urban, tourism and resort destinations. WATG's projects are renowned not only for their design and sense of place but also for their bottom-line success.
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts today opened the doors to the Mövenpick Hotel City Star Jeddah, a unique European-style property in one of Saudi Arabia's fastest-growing cities. The 228-room property, which marks the Swiss hospitality firm's third hotel in Jeddah and 11th in the Kingdom, seamlessly blends a classical interior design with a contemporary façade and the latest modern comforts.
NEW YORK -- W Hotels Worldwide, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE:HOT), today announced the debut of W Dubai – Al Habtoor City, the brand's first hotel in the Emirate. Owned by the Al Habtoor Group, the design-led lifestyle brand is set to shake up the destination with its rooftop W Lounge, pulsating WET® pool deck and innovative fashion and music happenings. The opening marks the W brand's second outpost in the Middle East, following the debut of W Doha in 2009.
Iran, the 18th largest economy in the world, is to host the first Iran Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (IHTIC), a top-level gathering of international investors, owners, operators, developers and government officials.In addition to rich reserves of oil, gas and metals, Iran has a promising consumer sector with a well-educated population of 80 million inhabitants. There are huge investment opportunities across all of Iran's economic sectors – energy, mining, hospitality & tourism, fast moving consumer goods, food & beverage, retail, automotive, aviation and manufacturing. Under the 2025 Tourism Vision plan, Iran is expecting to increase the number of tourism arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million by 2025. The 4.8 million tourists brought around $6.5 billion in revenue to the country despite sanctions and limitations imposed by the EU, the UN and the USA. With the lifting of sanctions in January, it is expected that by 2025 the country will receive $30 billion from tourism income. Only 13 out of the 96 hotels in Tehran are classified as four or five-star, although it is widely acknowledged that these would not meet internationally recognised standards for such classification.
On the 1st of September, Royal Tulip Achrafieh, part of the Louvre Hotels Group, opened its doors to welcome its first guests. Beirut's newest luxury boutique hotel is the first five-star hotel in Lebanon under Louvre Hotels Group. The hotel is located in a strategic location in the heart of Lebanon's capital, only minutes away from prime business and leisure attractions, conveniently close to ABC mall, Hotel Dieu hospital, and AUST University, making it the perfect destination for the business and leisure travelers alike.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®), one of the world's leading hotel companies, announced today the signing of Holiday Inn® Dubai Science Park. The newly built hotel will operate under a management agreement with an affiliate of the Rolaco Group, who also own InterContinental® Dallas, InterContinental® Semiramis, InterContinental®Geneva, Crowne Plaza® Geneva, andCrowne Plaza® Zurich.Scheduled to open in 2019, the hotel is located in Dubai Science Park, the region's first freezone community offering facilities including office and laboratory space, as well as residential units, with the aim of creating a vibrant 'Life Sciences' community. Located near the Arabian Ranches and Motor City, Holiday Inn Dubai Science Park is just fifteen minutes away from one of the largest and busiest shopping malls in the city, Mall of the Emirates.The hotel will comprise of 402 rooms and suites, including five meeting rooms and a conference hall seating 600 guests. To ensure an enjoyable experience for the guests, Holiday Inn Dubai Science Park will also offer four food and beverage outlets, an outdoor swimming pool, and a gym.
Speaking at the Vision Conference at The Hotel Show in Dubai, CEO of HMH - Hospitality Management Holdings Laurent A. Voivenel shared strategic insights and trends in hospitality investment regarding new projects as well as refurbishments. The panel was chaired by Mr Catalin I. Cighi, Managing Partner, Cain Hospitality Innovation (CHI) and included Ms Annamaria Lambri, Associate Professor of Architecture & Interior Design from American University in Dubai among other experts.
Three Dubai-based Deyaar properties, with a total of nearly 1,000 units, are to be managed by Millennium & Copthorne. Dubai developer Deyaar will partner with hotel company Millennium & Copthorne to manage three hospitality projects; the Islamic hotel in Al Barsha, the Atria in Business Bay and Montrose in Dubai Science Park, according to local media.
SwissSelect Reward Program is not new to many, what's new is the wide array of hotel network that adds to the list contributing to the length and breadth of the program and making it an enticing reward system with time. Swiss International Palace Hotel, which came on board effective July 01, 2016, is the fifth hotel participating under the Swiss-Select Reward Program. Four more hotels are scheduled to be added in the list before the end of the year 2016.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.® (NYSE:HOT) today announced the entry of its innovative Aloft brand to the Saudi Arabian market with the opening of Aloft Riyadh. Designed for today's hyper-connected, tech-forward global traveller, Aloft continues to re-define the traditional hotel experience and strengthen its footprint in the Middle East, following the success of Aloft Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Owned and developed by FAS Hotels, division of Fawaz Al Hokair group, Aloft Riyadh offers a vibrant social scene in the dynamic city of Riyadh.