Siemens Building Technologies Reports Prodigious Growth in the Hotel Market

Work is currently in progress on 45 new hotel complexes in Dubai alone, and in the Gulf region as a whole the number is 150. In eastern Europe numerous grand hotels are awaiting renovation, and the Far East is also participating in the global travel boom. This exceptional development is confirmed by all the major hotel chains, such as Bass (#1 in the world with some 4,000 hotels), Accor (# 2 in the world with around 3,400 hotels) or Hilton International (with about 200 hotels world-wide): Hyatt alone has 57 hotels under construction worldwide. Bearing in mind that a hotel complex means an order volume of 1.5 - 2 million CHF for Landis & Staefa, this gives some idea of the potential offered by this market segment.

Excellent customer contacts

Landis & Staefa has succeeded in establishing close contacts with the major hotel chains in recent years. The basis for this was laid by our Hotel segment team, which closely monitors the special needs of the hotel industry. Landis & Staefa was able to establish itself as a competent partner for the specific building technology requirements of hotels. Landis & Staefa has thus been a «Preferred Vendor» of Hyatt since December 1999, and global «Agreements of Understanding» have been concluded with Accor and Bass. These contacts were established by Marketing Manager Jacques Lévy, who is a soughtafter speaker in the hotel sector in his capacity as International Hotel Consultant. At the beginning of November, for example, he was invited by Hilton International to introduce its Chief Engineers from 40 countries to Landis & Staefa's technical hotel management. At the end of that month Bass called him to Oman to address their Chief Engineers from 50 countries. In his lectures, Jacques Lévy explained the technical functions of the hotel building management system supplied by Landis & Staefa in conjunction with Siemens. In addition to our familiar building management solutions (DESIGO, etc.), Aladin™ is the only complete software package that enables hotel operators to accompany their guests from check-in to check-out. For example, it is both ecologically and financially important for hotel operators to be able to use energy exactly as required. Some 70 percent of hotel guests are business people who mainly use their rooms only for sleeping.

Renovation in eastern Europe

Contacts with Accor have already resulted in some large projects in Poland. The Orbis hotel chain acquired by Accor, which runs 57 hotels in Poland, awarded Landis & Staefa the contract for renovating building technology in 25 Orbis hotels on the basis of the existing agreement with Accor. Jacques Lévy therefore attended the conference of technical directors of Orbis Hotels in Warsaw, where he applied his wide knowledge and his «personal touch» to introducing to the participants the different functions that Aladin™ offers technical hotel management. The joint appearance of Cerberus, Siemens Information & Communication Networks and Landis & Staefa made such a striking impression in Poland that three or four new contracts have already been added.

Dubai - world's largest construction site

However, the most gigantic projects are currently in progress in Dubai. Alongside the major construction activity in the tourism sector already referred to earlier, exceptional things are also afoot in the commercial and private sectors. The government has decided to construct 50 to 80 commercial buildings that are connected to each other and the outside world via the Internet. Characteristically, this Arabian Silicon Valley has been given the name of Internet City. Four buildings for which Landis & Staefa has been supplying building technology have already been completed. An even more gigantic project is the Marina City complex, oriental in appearance but equipped with the latest technology. This luxurious residential development with apartments and offices is located on the shore of an artificial lake and will set new standards of comfort.

Swiss presence on the Gulf

«Swiss Horizons», an event organized by the Swiss Business Council to promote Swiss business in the Gulf region, was held in Dubai from November 14 to 16 . The presence of Federal Councilor Pascal Couchepin underscored the importance that is also attached in official circles to bilateral relations with the United Arab Emirates. 32 Swiss companies, including Siemens Landis & Staefa, our company in Dubai, in a prominent location, presented themselves in the framework of a series of lectures, at which Pascal Couchepin made the keynote address, and a trade exhibition. Marcel Zünd (Swissotel) and Jacques Lévy spoke on the subject of hotels. The latter concluded his address with the following observation: «Every night, more than a million hotel guests somewhere in the world enjoy the total comfort provided by Siemens.» If Landis & Staefa can count on the active support of the Divisional Units, at current growth rates in the tourist industry they will soon be joined by several thousand more. Swiss presence on the Gulf