Horwath Hotel, Tourism and Leisure (HTL), the world's largest hospitality consulting firm, has opened a new office in Dubai. The office is the first for the Horwath HTL group in the United Arab Emirates and represents a significant addition to the network.

The Dubai-based office aims to establish the Horwath HTL brand in the Middle East and to open up and penetrate the highly promising market in the Gulf countries. In addition to Hospitality consulting services, the new Dubai office will focus on strengthening the destination development and planning disciplines within the Horwath HTL network, helping to expand the cooperation with international donor organisations such as the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, and GIZ ('Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit').

Thanks to its close relationship with the OBERMEYER Corporate Group, a leading German engineering consultancy, the Dubai-based Horwath HTL office will offer an extended service portfolio, with services from market and feasibility studies and master plans through to engineering design, construction supervision and project management.

TDO's Managing Director Hannes Scheid becomes Managing Director of the new Horwath HTL office. Hannes is an Industry expert with both comprehensive operational experience in the hospitality industry and a proven track record in Tourism and Master Planning projects. Hannes has already worked extensively throughout the region and sees great potential for the Brand. Hannes said; "Despite the fact that several of the Gulf countries have been hit hard by the financial crisis, the Gulf's tourism potential has not been fully tapped. The region still boasts lots of tourism opportunities as it benefits from assets such as strategic geographical location, strong GDP growth, a safe environment and a rapidly increasing population." adding: 'The Horwath HTL brand, with its rich history and credibility is perfect for the region and we look forward to helping our many clients achieve even greater success.

Robert Hecker, Chairman of the Horwath HTL network said; "We are delighted to welcome Hannes and his team to the Horwath HTL family and we have great hopes for the region. We have spent a great deal of time looking for the right partner to grow this important economic region and are fortunate to have found the quality of Hannes and his team to join the network."

About Horwath HTL

Horwath HTL is focused one hundred percent on hospitality, tourism, and leisure consulting. Our services cover every aspect of hotel real estate investment, tourism, and leisure development. Our clients choose Horwath HTL because we have earned a reputation for impartial advice that will often mean the difference between failure and success. Each client project is unique, and they rely on us to utilize the experience we have gained throughout our 100-year history to assist them in achieving their goals. Being a global firm with 52 offices in 40 countries, we have successfully carried out over 40,000 assignments for both public and private clients. As part of the Crowe Global network, a top-ten accounting, and financial services network, Horwath HTL is the number one choice for companies and financial institutions looking to invest and develop in the industry.

For more information, please visit www.horwathhtl.com.

James Chappell
Global Business Director