As part of the focus on ‘Unlocking Investment Opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa’ at AHIC 2010, the Country Panel will look at the direction of tourism and hotel investment in the Sultanate of Oman, as well as featuring government representatives from Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Morocco.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. today announced the debut of its renowned Luxury Collection brand in the United Arab Emirates with the addition of Grosvenor House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Dubai. Located on the exclusive Dubai Marina, the prestigious 45-story Grosvenor House hotel first opened its doors in 2005 and quickly became one of the world’s most acclaimed hotels.
Over the past decade the UAE has gained a reputation as a luxury destination with the launch of numerous high-end hotels that have grabbed the attention of travellers across the world. Thanks to a steady rise in demand, room rates soared and remain among the most expensive in the world, but the onset of the global financial crisis has led to a sharp decline in revenues and occupancies across the country.
Hotels in Bahrain will be one of the main features on display at the second annual Food & Hospitality Expo 2010 to be held on 12 to 14 January 2010 at the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre (BIECC). This will be Bahrain's largest gathering of food, beverage and hospitality industry professionals following last year's inaugural successful event.
As financial crisis roiled much of the world in October 2008, the head of Dubai's biggest state-owned developer unveiled his latest megaproject: a $38 billion development that would include a tower nearly two-thirds of a mile tall. "I'm sure most of you are asking why we're launching this, and you'd be mad not to question it," said the executive, Chris O'Donnell, at a news conference. Though there would be economic ups and downs in the years needed to build the tower, he told listeners, demand would continue to outstrip supply. "The fundamentals in the market are too strong," he said. "There won't be a crash."
Dubai was supposed to be a new model for economic development in the Persian Gulf, and in the world. And like so many recent "new models," Dubai is proving to be a lemon. The theory was that Dubai would be a competitive, free oasis in a region generally hostile to the open market. Lacking oil resources of its own, it set itself up as a sponge to sop up resources-generated cash. Dubai would be the playground, shopping mall, financial center, cultural zone, beach resort, and second-home mecca of the global oil patch—New York, Las Vegas, and Miami wrapped up in one.
Middle East tourism is expected to more than double by 2020. Furthermore, the Arab world is still considered a hot spot among investors in the hospitality sector — but growth opportunities are no longer conceivable without considering the budget sector. Experts believe that luxury requires budget and Dubai, renowned for luxurious hotels such as Burj Al Arab, is leading the way. The emirate is beginning to realize that in order to lure more tourists, it needs to diversify its offerings especially in light of the financial downturn.
A new chapter of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) chartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on November 2, 2009, during an official ceremony hosted by Jeff Senior, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Fairmont Raffles and global chair of HSMAI.
Raffles is opening a luxury hotel in Mecca that will offer weary pilgrims a taste of the high life, including a coffee sommelier, a chocolate room and 24-hour butler service. The new hotel will provide accommodation that varies wildly from the basic fare normally experienced by Muslims executing the fifth pillar of Islam. The pilgrimage to Mecca typically involves great hardship, including months spent travelling on foot and sleeping in the open air while en route.
Vision Hotel Apartments Deluxe, a five-star residence-style living hotel located in the heart of Abu Dhabi, recently launched a new website (www.visionhotel.net) and strategic online marketing plan to combat the decline in international travel and capture new customers interested in long-term accommodations. TIG Global , the leading online marketing company for hospitality and travel, built the new website and runs the multi-pronged marketing program that has so far increased website traffic by 47% in the first month and visits to the reservations page by 22%.
Dubai hotels experienced a substantial improvement in performance last month following sharp declines in revenues in the first half of the year, as promotional efforts start to have an effect. Occupancy levels for Dubai hotels increased last month compared with June, but were down from last year. Occupancy was 65.1 per cent last month compared with 71.7 per cent in July of last year.
The Address Hotels + Resorts is further increasing its portfolio with two new hospitality destinations. The Address Dubai Mall and The Address Dubai Marina, on schedule to open later this year, will be part of vibrant and chic lifestyle communities and will offer guests ideal locations in which to socialise, dine or do business.
Sonesta International Hotels Corporation has announced the Sonesta Kiroseiz Beach Resort Dahab, in Egypt. The 450-room resort, now under development, will open in 2012 under a new management agreement between Sonesta International Hotels and Kiroseiz Hotels Establishment. The Resort will be located on the Sinai Peninsula on the Red Sea, just 50 miles north of Sharm El Sheikh.
The Elaf Group of Companies, a business organisation serving the Saudi Arabian travel, tourism and hotel industries, has announced that it has recently launched a major expansion initiative in the Saudi hotel sector, driven by a significant surge in religious tourism, which according to recent reports has achieved a remarkable 30 per cent growth in the first quarter of 2009. Elaf has particularly prepared for the new Umrah season that started in February 2009, noting a considerable growth trend as around 3.5 million pilgrims are expected to visit the Kingdom in the current Umrah season
Currently under construction in Dubai, Hydropolis will be the world's first luxury underwater hotel. It will include three elements: the land station, where guests will be welcomed, the connecting tunnel, which will transport people by train to the main area of the hotel, and the 220 suites within the submarine leisure complex. It is one of the largest contemporary construction projects in the world, covering an area of 260 hectares, about the size of London's Hyde Park.
The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide, announces the Al Muna Karim Radisson Blu Hotel in Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia. The 322 rooms-property is scheduled to open in Q3 2009 to welcome its first guests during the holy month of Ramadan and is Rezidor’s second hotel in town – the group also develops the Al Madinah Paradise Radisson Blu Resort which will welcome the first guests in Q4 2010.
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts announced today the opening of Park Hyatt Jeddah – Marina Club and Spa, marking its entry into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Set among beautifully landscaped gardens on the Corniche of Jeddah, Park Hyatt Jeddah – Marina, Club and Spa is an innovative five-star sanctuary where contemporary luxury and exceptional service meets unrivalled views of the Red Sea and King Fahd fountain. The hotel enjoys a prime location in the very heart of the city, within the esteemed Al Hamra District at the Equestrian Club of Jeddah, and just minutes away from the central business district.
ee suicide attackers shot their way onto the grounds of a five-star hotel in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar and set off a car bomb, killing at least seven people and wounding dozens, officials said. Peshawar Police Chief Safwat Ghyour said about 40 people were wounded in the attack on the Pearl Continental Hotel, which is often frequented by foreigners and diplomats.
Abu Dhabi has cut its target to more than double the number of hotel guests staying in the emirates by 2012 due to the impact of the global economic downturn, the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) said on Monday. Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon al-Nahyan said the authority has reduced its forecast by 15 percent to 2.3 million guests annually by 2012, down from 2.7 million guests, in a sign of how the downturn is hitting the emirate's economy.
Burj Al Arab, the World's Most Luxurious Hotel and recognised as the symbol of Dubai, has today received four new bespoke model Phantom Rolls-Royce's into its already extensive luxury vehicle range.