Specialist mixed-use operator Kerten Hospitality - known for challenging the industry with new concepts that combine innovative spaces for working, living and socialising - is expanding its Talent Tank Internship Programme to the Middle East as it prepares to open its first hotel in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Chris Nader, Vice President - Development, Shaza Hotels, made a special presentation to a large audience of hotel owners and investors about 'Mysk by Shaza' at the Saudi Arabia Hotel Investment Conference (SHIC) in Riyadh. Mysk was voted the winner of The Three Minute Pitch out of the 16 leading brands that participated in the session open for owners and investors only.
The opportunity will be available at Najah a higher education fair, which is being held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, from October 31 to November 2, under the patronage of HE Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan.
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 Carter, President, Global 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.
The Cristal Group has announced the signing of Al Mahra Resort as its latest management project. Owned by FAM Holding, a conglomerate of business solutions with diversified investments across the region, the resort is due to open in 2020 as Al Mahra Resort by Cristal.
Mövenpick Hotel & Apartments Bur Dubai is proud to receive the "Hotel of the Year 'Long Distance'" award during the Goldene Sonne 2018 awards ceremony in April 2018 by SonnenKlar TV, held in Kalkar municipality, Germany.
CapitaLand's wholly owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), continued to receive worldwide recognition, having won four prestigious accolades at this year's World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony. It was the biggest winner among the serviced residence companies.
Al Khozama, Saudi Arabia's leading hospitality and property management company, receives 9 prestigious regional awards at the World Travel Awards (WTA) Middle East Gala Ceremony, held in Ras Al Khaimah on the 19th April 2018. The World Travel Awards is an industry hallmark of excellence, celebrating the most prominent hospitality and tourism leaders across the industry.
Omniyat has announced that Dorchester Collection will manage its luxury One Palm development on The Palm Jumeirah, making it the first residential development in the Middle East to be managed by the iconic hospitality brand.
Bulgari Resort Dubai has only been open for a matter of weeks, but it's already been crowned the best new luxury hotel of 2017. The lavish property, located on man-made island Jumeira Bay, came out on top in members-only travel ratings company Luxury Travel Intelligence's annual list, beating off stiff competition from the likes of The Ned in London and Paris' Hotel de Crillon. Described as an "urban oasis," the 158,000 square-meter complex, designed by renowned Italian architectural firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, was credited for its structural design as well as its "understated" location. While the Bulgari Resort Dubai may have taken the top spot, it certainly wasn't the only new hotel that made a lasting impression. Here's the full list of LTI's top 14 "truly exceptional" new hotels.
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI), which is celebrating 90 years of fueling sales, recognized nine industry innovators as "Most Extraordinary Minds" in Hospitality Sales, Marketing, and Revenue in the Middle East. Award recipients were honored on October 18, 2017 at the second HSMAI Middle East Conference, at Dusit Thani Dubai.
Most of us get rid of old autos when their engines finally give up, but one man has turned his battered old VW Beetle into what he claims is the world's smallest hotel. And Mohammed Al Malaheem, 64, says guests sleeping in his converted jalopy in the Jordanian desert village of Al Jaya will enjoy a five-star experience. "This village is my homeland, I was born here, I grew up here, I lived here," says Al Malaheem -- who goes by the name Abu Ali. "I wanted to start a project that improves its situation and places it on the tourism map, because it truly overlooks some of the most beautiful scenery in the region." Largely deserted by residents who have left in search of a more modern lifestyle, Al Jaya is located near Al Shoubak, home to an imposing 12th century castle called Montreal.
Earlier this year it was announced that the GCC states would introduce a value added tax (VAT) rate of 5% to be levied anytime between 2018 and 2019. The UAE Ministry of Finance has announced that it will be implemented as early as the 1st of January 2018.
Continuing its expansion in the GCC, Swiss-Belhotel International (SBI) has entered into a management agreement with Omniyat Real Estate to operate two fantastic properties in Kuwait. Both Swiss-Belboutique Bneid Al Gar and Swiss-Belresidences Al Sharq are under development and expected to open in 2018.
The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) has named Christine Saldanha, executive housekeeper at the Crowne Plaza Hotel & Resorts, Dubai, UAE, as winner of the 2016 Lamp of Knowledge Award for Outstanding Distance Learning Student. The Lamp of Knowledge is given to individuals who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to advancing the quality of professionalism and education in the hospitality industry. The Outstanding Distance Learning Student is selected from among those who completed AHLEI's 12-course Hospitality Management Diploma in the previous year.
Mr Glenn Nobbs, General Manager of Copthorne Hotel Dubai was recognized as the 'General Manager of the Year' for 2015 by Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Middle East and Africa.
Aleph Hospitality (http://www.AlephHospitality.com), a pioneering third-party hotel management company founded by industry veteran Bani Haddad and headquartered in Dubai, today marked its official launch with the unveiling of the company's new website, alephhospitality.com.In addition to providing prospective hotel owners and business partners with an overview of the company's services, the site seeks to help demystify the concept of third-party management, which, despite being relatively little known in the region today, is widely tipped to fuel significant future expansion within the Middle East and African hotel industry.An established model in the U.S. where in 2014 the top ten third-party management companies alone accounted for more than 260,000 rooms(1), third-party or 'white label' hotel management allows a hotel owner to appoint a specialist hotel management company to operate their hotel, in addition to taking a franchise from a major hotel company in order to secure an international brand above the door. An alternative to the most prevalent asset management structures in the region today where hotels are typically operated by a hotel brand under management contract with an owner or are operated independently by the owners themselves, often without an international brand, third-party hotel management presents many benefits to both hotel companies and investors alike."By establishing a credible third-party hotel management solution for the Middle East and Africa, our aim is to open doors that were previously closed," explains Bani Haddad, Founder and Managing Director, Aleph Hospitality. "We want to create opportunities both for hotel companies, by providing a trusted intermediary with whom they can grow their franchise portfolios, and for owners of hotels of all shapes and sizes who wish to benefit from a combination of dedicated operational support and the advantages of an internationally-renowned brand."Having already signed its first management contract and with its first hotel opening, the 116-room Best Western Addis Ababa, just three months away, Aleph Hospitality is already experiencing strong demand for its services. "With some regional owners historically locked out of a market where management agreements were largely the preserve of upscale developments in established destinations, we truly see this as an exciting new beginning for the regional hotel landscape," said Haddad. "Hotel companies, consultants and owners that we've spoken to right across the region have all been extremely positive about the accelerated growth this model could bring."Founded by industry expert Bani Haddad, whose career history spans all aspects of hotel management and roles at major industry players including Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Wyndham Hotel Group and Disney, Aleph Hospitality's name was inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the ancient Phoenicians, widely credited with revolutionising the way the world communicates through the development of the 'Aleph-bet', or alphabet.(1) HotelManagement.net, 2015 Hotel Management Survey, March 2015
World Travel Awards (WTA) has unveiled the nominees for its upcoming Middle East Gala Ceremony 2016.
On 18th May at the Daily Telegraph's much coveted annual Ultimate Luxury Travel Related Awards (ULTRAs), Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, the World's Most Luxurious Hotel, was once again voted the Best Hotel in the World and Best Hotel in the Middle East.Burj Al Arab Jumeirah was awarded the 'Best Hotel in the World' title, a new category added to the Awards in 2013, for the third year in a row. The award of 'Best Hotel in the Middle East' marked the ninth year in a row that Burj Al Arab Jumeirah has received this second accolade. The awards were collected by Gerald Lawless, President and Group Chief Executive Officer, Jumeirah Group and Melanie Bisch, Assistant Guest Relations Manager of Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. Every year, the readers of Ultratravel, the Daily Telegraph's luxury-travel magazine, vote on 20 categories to select the best of luxury travel. The ULTRAs Reader Survey provides a unique and trusted source of advice to travellers worldwide. The awards recognise the best luxury hotels, airlines, cruise companies, spas and destinations globally.Earlier in the day, at the 2015 Ultratravel Forum – in partnership with TTG Luxury -Jumeirah Group's President and Group CEO Gerald Lawless took part in The Presidents' Panel. This highlight of the Forum invited a panel of leaders in their field to discuss how they see the luxury landscape, how their product and experiences are changing and how they continue to adapt to ensure affluent travellers are attracted to their hotels and destinations.Gerald Lawless said: "For Burj Al Arab Jumeirah to retain the crown of 'Best Hotel in the Middle East' for the ninth year running and 'Best Hotel in the World' for the third is a powerful endorsement of its status as the world's most luxurious hotel. On behalf of Jumeirah Group, the operator of this outstanding property, I would like to thank the readers of Ultratravel for their vote of confidence, our guests for their continuous support and our many colleagues who deliver the service for which the hotel is rightly renowned."
Katara Hospitality, the global hotel owner, developer and operator based in Qatar, has announced that it will be managing the new Saraya Corniche Hotel under Murwab Hotel Group, its recently re-launched standalone operating arm.