Sofar Grand Hotel in the Lebanese village of Sofar is some 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of the capital, Beirut. Inside the abandoned century-old hotel, paintings of the Arab world's once powerful and famous hang around a worn poker table, testimony to its glamourous past before the civil war.
AHIC, the annual knowledge and networking platform for the hotel investment community, will return to Ras Al Khaimah for AHIC 2019, which will take place from 9-11 April 2019 at an all new purpose-built AHIC Village in the grounds of the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, in partnership with Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA).
In the recent Middle East hotel construction pipeline report by analysts at Lodging Econometrics (LE), the region continues to show rapid pipeline expansion in the second quarter of 2018 with the highest counts since 2007 when LE first began recording. The total pipeline stands at 603 projects/175,288 rooms, an all-time high. These numbers show a lofty 119% increase in projects and 125% increase in rooms since the region's low in the fourth quarter of 2013 when the total pipeline bottomed at 275 projects/77,772 rooms. Projects presently under construction are at 355 projects/113,635 rooms and are at an all-time high. Projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months are at 127 projects/33,158 rooms, and projects in early planning are at 121 projects/28,495 rooms, both at their highest levels since 2007.In the first half of 2018, the Middle East had 43 new hotels open while another 51 hotels are forecasted to open in the second half, bringing the total number of expected new hotel openings to 94 by year end. Analysts at LE forecast explosive growth for new hotel openings in the coming years with 119 expected to open in 2019 and a whopping 156 in 2020. Countries with the largest number of projects in the construction pipeline are the United Arab Emirates with 217 projects/61,375 rooms and Saudi Arabia, with 208 projects/74,962 rooms. Following distantly are Qatar with 58 projects/13,733 rooms and Egypt with 42 projects/9,923 rooms. The most swiftly growing emirate construction pipeline is in Dubai with 163 projects/47,783 rooms. The other notable emirate is Abu Dhabi with 21 projects/5,647 rooms. Regions and cities having the largest hotel construction pipelines are located within Saudi Arabia, where the Provincial Region has 59 projects/11,467 rooms, and Riyadh has 57 projects/10,735 rooms. Jeddah is recording their highest counts since 2007 with 56 projects/11,027 rooms while Makkah has 36 projects/41,733 rooms, also a record high.Companies with the largest construction pipelines in the Middle East are Marriott International with 96 projects/22,066 rooms, Hilton Worldwide with 91 projects/25,341 rooms, and AccorHotels with 81 projects/23,512 rooms. Marriott International is showing an all-time high project count while Hilton Worldwide is on their third quarter in a row of overall record highs for both projects and guest room counts. The leading pipeline brands for these companies are Marriott's Courtyard with 21 projects/4,476 rooms, and Residence Inn with 16 projects/1,877 rooms; Hilton's full-service Hilton Hotel & Resort with 26 projects/9,736 rooms, and DoubleTree by Hilton with 26 projects/6,113 rooms; and AccorHotels' Novotel with 14 projects/5,165 rooms, and Adagio City Aparthotel with 14 projects/2,711 rooms. All of these leading pipeline brands, with the exception of Hilton's full-service Hotel and Resort, are at their record highs.
Three hotels in Dubai's Al Habtoor City are to be rebranded by Hilton which was confirmed today at a press event in Dubai. Mohammed Al Habtoor, Vice Chairman & CEO of the Al Habtoor Group and Ian R. Carter, President, Development, Architecture, Design & Construction, Hilton announced a new franchise agreement effective 1 August 2018. The properties will become known as Habtoor Palace Hotel, LXR Hotels & Resorts, V Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton and Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City.
With a year-to-date average occupancy of 81%, First Central Hotel Suites has enjoyed a robust first half of 2018. The hotel achieved 3% higher occupancy compared to the average percentage of its competitive set.
Emaar Hospitality Group, a unit of Dubai's biggest developer Emaar Properties, will sell part of its portfolio to focus on hotel management and is still eyeing listing of its own shares, the parent company's chairman said on Tuesday.
In Dubai, the new is easily coveted; from skyscrapers to sports cars. So it may come as a surprise that the latest luxury hotel will also be its oldest.In April the Queen Elizabeth II (QE2), the world's most famous ocean liner from the 1960s, opened its gangways to guests once more. But its cruising days are over -- this time around the QE2 is staying put in its new home, the city port of Mina Rashid.
Emaar Hospitality Group, the hospitality and leisure business of global developer Emaar Properties, announced it has marked a historic milestone of 50 hotel projects in its portfolio, including 35 upcoming projects in the UAE and international markets, as well as 15 hotels and serviced residences operational in Dubai. Olivier Harnisch, CEO of Emaar Hospitality Group, said that several new management agreements are being finalised to be potentially revealed during the Arabian Travel Market 2018.
Al Hokair Group has signed a Master Development Agreement (MDA) with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) which will see the debut of Holiday Inn Express brand in Saudi Arabia with a rollout of 10 Holiday Inn Express hotels over the next 15 years. This significant development complements IHG's robust pipeline in the Kingdom and cements its position as one of the leading operators in the country, as well as consolidates its partnership with the Al Hokair Group.
AccorHotels has recently announced the timeline and location for its first hip and future-forward brand SO/location in the Middle East. This hotel will be located in the region's hottest market: Dubai.
Kerzner International Holdings Limited ("Kerzner"), the owner of the iconic Atlantis Resort & Residences and ultra-luxury One&Only Resorts brands worldwide, achieves a new milestone in its continued evolution of the One&Only portfolio, as it introduces One&Only Urban Resorts. To provide the experiences One&Only guests have craved, One&Only Urban Resorts will be introduced in Dubai's latest architectural icon, One Za'abeel, a completely original destination with revolutionary design; the perfect site for the introduction and launch of One&Only Urban Resorts, One&Only One Za'abeel.
W Hotels Worldwide, part of Marriott International, unveiled W Amman, the brand's first property in Jordan. Developed by Eagle Hills Jordan, the 280-room hotel is located in the heart of Amman's up and coming new downtown neighborhood, Abdali, and features design inspired by the energy of the Middle East and charm of Jordanian history, culture and tradition with a playfully modern twist.
An exclusive report by TOPHOTELPROJECTS for The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2018 has identified Swiss-Belhotel International among the top ten most active brands in the Kingdom. The group currently has five projects featuring over 1200 rooms under development in KSA.
Within the hospitality industry, Qatar has long been a country known as a relatively busy transit spot. Its Hamad International Airport connects to 100 different destinations, making Qatar a popular destination for layovers as visitors wait to head to other countries.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced plans to expand in Israel, beyond its current footprint in Tel Aviv. In just two and a half years, the company will open a new hotel in Jerusalem, which will become its second property in that city. The new hotel will be called InterContinental Jerusalem.
Jumeirah, the global luxury hospitality company and a member of Dubai Holding, today announced it has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi United Hospitality LLC to develop Jumeirah Al Wathba Desert Resort in Abu Dhabi. Expected to welcome guests from September 2018, Al Wathba Desert Resort will be developed by leading hospitality company, Abu Dhabi United Hospitality and operated by Jumeirah.
Hilton has competed a major dual-brand hotel signing in Heliopolis Cairo, one that continues its growth and development in Egypt.
Dubai, UAE -- Making a significant addition to the UAE's tourism and hospitality offering, Rotana, one of the leading hotel management companies in the region with hotels across the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, has announced the soft opening of two stunning hotels in Dubai, the five-star Al Bandar Rotana, and a fully-furnished serviced apartments, Al Bandar Arjaan by Rotana, at Dubai Creek.
The world's tallest hotel has officially opened its doors in Dubai -- scaling the clouds and towering above the city below.The Gevora Hotel is a new offering in the UAE hotspot's financial district -- topping out at an incredible 356 meters high (1,168 feet).Travelers with a head for heights will know already that Gevora's tower just barely trounces another Dubai sleeping spot -- the JW Marriott Marquis, which is just a meter shorter and was formerly the world's tallest hotel.The luxurious Gevora is decked out in gold and includes a health club, sauna, pool and five glitzy restaurants.
The Ritz Carlton Riyadh made headlines last year for becoming something of a luxury detention facility after it was suddenly closed to house a number of high-ranking Saudi politicians, royals and officials back in November. Now, it looks set to reopen shortly.