Steigenberger is continuing its programme of expansion in the Middle East. The first InterCityHotel outside Europe is scheduled to open in July 2016 in Salalah, the second largest metropolitan area in Oman located 1,000 kilometres to the South-West of the capital Muscat. This will be the first international mid-market hotel in the city.
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is unveiling its third property in Doha with the Mövenpick Hotel Al Aziziyah Doha. The Swiss brand currently operates the Mövenpick Hotel Doha and the Mövenpick Hotel West Bay Doha, and the new location will expand the company's Qatari portfolio to more than 640 keys.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is preparing for significant growth within the Middle East and Africa (MEA) announcing the signing of a 300-suite Marriott Executive Apartments and unveiling plans to open 17 new properties across the region this year. At present, the hotel company operates nearly 150 properties in the MEA region across nine brands in 19 countries. The latest announcements come during the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) taking place from April 26–28 in Dubai.
From the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) in Dubai, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced that it is on track to grow its portfolio in the Middle East to 100 hotels by 2020. This follows five new deal signings that will add over 1,200 rooms in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Starwood will also open five hotels in 2016 across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
HMH – Hospitality Management Holdings has announced in quick succession the signing of management agreement for Corp Muscat Al Muzn Hotel followed by the opening of Coral Muscat Hotel & Apartments.
Rotana, one of the leading hotel management companies in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe, outlined its plans for the future during its participation in the ongoing Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2016, the Middle East's largest travel and tourism event.
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts (MHR) will operate its third property in Doha from next week - a strategic move that will capitalise on Qatar's status as a world-class sports hub and host of the 2022 Football World Cup. The upscale 139-room Mövenpick Hotel Al Aziziyah Doha, located in the city's internationally-renowned Aspire Zone, also known as Doha Sports City, will open its doors on 1 May, taking over the luxurious Victorian-style building currently occupied by Grand Heritage Hotel Doha.
Cementing its position as a major player in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) hospitality market, Louvre Hotels Group, one of the largest hospitality groups in the world, has announced that it will open 11 new hotels in the region this year, including six hotels in the GCC.
Dusit International will assert its position as one of Asia's leading hospitality groups at the upcoming Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai later this month. Led by newly appointed Chief Operating Officer Mr Lim Boon Kwee, senior executives from Dusit's corporate office, as well as representatives from its Middle Eastern and international properties, will be on hand throughout the event on Stand HC1030 to showcase the brand's current products, share the latest offers and discuss the company's ambitious expansion plans with the press and travel trade.
Coral Muscat Hotel & Apartments was officially inaugurated last evening under the Kind Patronage of His Highness Sayyid Tarik Bin Shabib Bin Taimur Al Said. The opening ceremony was attended by top VIPs and dignitaries from Oman along with prominent businessmen.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates -- Miral and Warner Bros. officially announced that a Warner Bros. themed destination is set to open in Abu Dhabi. Situated on Yas Island, one of the world's leading business, leisure and entertainment destinations, the development will include the only Warner Bros. branded hotel alongside the immersive theme park. The first phase of the project, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, is set to open in 2018. Construction is underway and rides are in production.
UAE hotel operator Rotana plans to add 1,000 rooms in Dubai by 2020. Rotana is ramping up expansion plans for the Middle East, since announcing in February that it was planning nine new hotel projects for Dubai and Abu Dhabi over the next five years.
Rotana has opened the budget hotel Centro Capital Doha, offering 229 rooms and studios, according to company officials. "The demand for hotel rooms, especially in the four star hotels category, which deliver luxury at affordable prices has risen in the past five years. In line with this, we are witnessing the launch of the first Centro brand in town," said Al Malki group chairman Ali Ibrahim Abdullah Al Malki, addressing the official opening ceremony of the hotel.
Australia's largest privately owned hotel management company StayWell Hospitality Group (SWHG) announced the signing of a management agreement to open and operate the company's first Park Regis properties in Makkah Saudi Arabia. In Dubai were StayWell Hospitality Group CEO Simon Wan and Asas Capital Ltd CEO Riyad Alhoraibi for the official signing ceremony.
Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Worldwide's (NYSE: HLT) luxury hotel portfolio for the new smart luxury traveller, today announced the signing of a management agreement with Assets Real Estate Development Company for the 325 guestroom Conrad Doha, expected to open in early 2019.
Perched 2,000 metres above sea level on the curving rim of a great canyon, Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resortwill welcome the world's most discerning luxury travellers from July 2016. Guests will hover over an extreme landscape of rugged beauty while they discover a cultured treasury of authentic indulgences and immersions in the destination's rich heritage. Upon its launch, the resort will be the highest luxury hotel in the Middle East and amongst the highest in the world.
Marriott International, Inc. (NSDAQ:MAR) celebrated today the grand opening of the highly anticipated SpringHill Suites & Residence Inn San Diego Downtown Bayfront at BRIC. Adding to the expanding portfolio, the SpringHill Suites marked the 3,000th Select Service property for the Marriott Global Portfolio. Leadership from Marriott International, the City of San Diego, the Port of San Diego, Hensel Phelps, Lankford & Associates, and Portman Holdings gathered to welcome local patrons and visitors alike to this innovative and forward thinking hotel property.
Minor Hotel Group (MHG), a hotel owner, operator and investor, currently with a portfolio of 145 hotels and resorts in 22 countries across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, South America, Africa and the Indian Ocean, has announced the addition of two new properties to its pipeline in the United Arab Emirates. Anantara Jebel Dhanna and AVANI Jebel Dhanna in Abu Dhabi will soon begin development and both are scheduled to open in 2018.
Rezidor, one of the most dynamic hotel companies worldwide and a member of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, announces the Nofa Resort and Club, a luxury private member's club located outside Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. The existing property with 57 luxury villas will join the group in Q3 2016 and will be operated as a members-only resort. It is the newest addition to Rezidor's expanding portfolio in Saudi Arabia that now features 27 hotels with over 5,200 rooms in operation or under development.
CapitaLand's wholly owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), has continued its strong growth in the Middle East by inking contracts to manage its first two serviced residences in Al Khobar, one of the main metropolitan cities in Saudi Arabia's oil-rich Eastern Province. The 172-unit Ascott Corniche Al Khobar and 133- unit Somerset Downtown Al Khobar are slated to open in 2018 and 2019 respectively. These latest contracts will increase Ascott's presence in the Middle East to more than 2,300 apartment units across 16 properties in nine cities in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).