The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) has announced the signing of a franchise agreement with Marriott International for two new hospitality projects set in Sharjah’s scenic East Coast. The agreement, signed by Shurooq’s Sharjah Collection & Hotels Management, marks the debut of Marriott’s Autograph Collection in Sharjah. Two of Shurooq’s new hospitality projects in Kalba and Khorfakkan under Sharjah Collection & Hotels Management will operate under the Autograph Collection brand. The announcement was made today (Wednesday) during an official signing ceremony held at the House of Wisdom, Sharjah. H.E. Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman of Shurooq, and Sandeep Walia, Chief Operating Officer, Middle East for Marriott International signed the agreement in the presence of senior officials from Shurooq and Marriott International. Talking about the new partnership, H.E. Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman of Shurooq, said, “The new franchise agreement ties in with Shurooq’s vision to foster strategic global partnerships with reputed bespoke brands to add value to the world-class personalised service and care offered throughout Shurooq’s destinations. Joining the exclusive fold of Marriott’s Autograph Collection brings us closer to our long-term goal of empowering Sharjah’s diversified economy and cementing its position as a magnet for global brands.” Al Sarkal added: “The proposed hospitality projects in Kalba and Khorfakkan, strategically located in two of the most picturesque and dynamic cities in the Eastern region, will cater to the ever-growing demand for tourism and leisure experiences and seeks to bolster the emirate’s touristic appeal. The new agreement builds on our ever-expanding portfolio of developments in the East Coast and will further enhance investment opportunities across a variety of sectors to drive its future growth and urban development.” …

Russia has grown to become the second-largest source market for Dubai’s travel and tourism sector in 2021, climbing from eighth place in last year’s rankings. This is according to data released ahead of the next edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), which will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from 9-12 May 2022. Commissioned by Reed Exhibitions (RX), the organisers of ATM 2022, the Colliers report concluded that the UAE is also likely to retain its status as the preferred GCC destination for Russian visitors over the longer term, accounting for more than 90% of inbound arrivals in 2026. In addition to the volume of inbound visitors to the UAE, the average spend of Russian travellers is expected to grow significantly between 2021 and 2026, increasing by $85 to reach approximately $1,280 per person during this period. Consequently, the Russian market is on course to surpass $1 billion for the Emirates within the next four years. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME – Arabian Travel Market, said: “The latest figures from Colliers demonstrate that visitors from Russia are playing – and will continue to play – an important role for our region’s travel sector, especially when it comes to the UAE. “The fact that Dubai was among the first destinations to open its borders to Russian travellers without the need to quarantine has no doubt been a significant factor in the sustained levels of visitation, with 296,000 inbound arrivals to the emirate in 2020. “Encouragingly, 2021 numbers look set to surpass that figure, with Dubai having welcomed 256,000 visitors from Russia as of the third quarter of the year.” The Russian market’s average length of stay (ALoS) saw a …

Accor expands its luxury footprint in Egypt with the signing of Sofitel Cairo New Capital Hotel & Residences, a new flagship property for the group that will strengthen the Sofitel brand in Egypt. The new property will be located in the heart of the New Administrative Capital (NAC) of Cairo, a city designed on its own and featuring hospitality, residential, entertainment, commercial, retail components and government entities, including the presidential palace, parliament, cabinet, supreme court, all ministries of Egypt and various foreign embassies. The property will introduce two towers, and a podium, in which the first tower will feature 200 hotel keys and 280 branded residences, from one to four bedrooms, while the second tower will include offices and commercial spaces. The group is collaborating with Edge Holiding, an Egyptian real-estate developer created by Al Borouj Misr Developments and Al Mashariq KSA as a joint venture in 2018. “Edge Holding Urban Development is the first and largest Egyptian-Saudi business investment that took place in the New Administrative Capital. It has introduced 20 years of experience and because of its congregated experience, it has been able to undertake two booming projects under the umbrella of the Egyptian government” mentioned Mr. Hazem El-Sherif, Chairman of Edge Holding. “Each project has its unique aesthetic tailor-made design providing a smart lifestyle within an unrivalled community, supported by Edge Holding’s dedicated team of community management. Edge Holding made sure to provide the NAC with two projects that meet the exact needs and demands of clients with the OIA compound and OIA towers. OIA Towers, a conventional development with remarkable views and outlooks; unique 30 storey East and West twin towers meticulously designed with international quality …

Dubai-based independent hotel management company, Aleph Hospitality, has announced that it has signed a company-wide agreement with Medallia to further enhance the customer journey and elevate the guest experience across all of the group’s hotels in the Middle East and Africa. As pioneer and market leader in Experience Management, Medallia is trusted by the world’s best hotel companies. Its bespoke feedback analysis platform for hotels provides AI-powered text analytics and data on the customer journey that enables hotel teams to focus on the critical customer touchpoints and use these insights to further elevate the guest experience. Commenting on the partnership Bani Haddad, Founder & Managing Director of Aleph Hospitality, said: “Whilst Medallia is not new to Aleph as the platform has been in place in several of our hotels, we believe now is the right time to move to a group-wide partnership to support the rapid growth of our hotel portfolio in the Middle East and Africa.” “Through the extensive functionality and reporting available in Medallia Go, we will be able to further advance our understanding of the group’s performance with the ability to continually refine the hotel guest journey and further strengthen the service delivery and quality for our owners.” Aleph Hospitality currently operates 10 hotels and has earmarked a pipeline of 50 hotels in the Middle East and Africa by 2025.

Limestone Lab, an experience-driven hospitality group, with a vision of launching new and innovative hospitality concepts to the social and dining scene, announces plans to develop six more unique concepts in the UAE with a new seed funding round. Limestone Lab, the tech-enabled experiential hospitality group, which creates, builds, and manages unique concepts, has presently raised an amount of $1 million through a pre-seed round of investment, following raising $6 million in their initial round, which was used to develop their pilot projects,Social Distrikt, and their latest concept launching in 2022, Peaches and Cream. The current funding was used towards the conceptualization of four concepts, including the company’s pilot project, Social Distrikt, the newly launched urban food & bar hall located at The Pointe at the Palm Jumeirah.This was achieved by owning stakes as retained capital as development fee by fully funding the initial two concepts. As part of the development fee, the hospitality group has thus far doubled the initial investment raised of the two concepts, making it an attractive opportunity for future investors. Continuing to leverage their success, the innovative hospitality group has announced its plans to launch its Seed round in February with the aim of raising $2 million, to which the company will develop a second team to establish 6 additional, unique concepts to the market, with a disruptive approach to the traditional brick-and-mortar models for the F&B sector. Commenting on this, CEO and Co-Founder, Hassan shares, “Since the launch of Limestone Lab, we have witnessed a growing appetite from investors who resonate with our passion and vision, and as a result we have had the ability to raise investment at an exponential rate on our …

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has announced the formation of a new division focused on the regulation of integrated resorts. These include hotel operations, convention space, entertainment, restaurants and lounges, spa, retail and gaming facilities. Following global best practices in the regulation of gaming that operate as part of integrated resorts across various jurisdictions worldwide, the Department of Entertainment and Gaming Regulation within RAKTDA will consider the social, cultural, and environmental landscape of the Emirate and cover licensing, taxation, operational procedures, and consumer safeguards. The foremost priority of this new division is to create a robust framework that will ensure responsible gaming at all levels. The regulatory structure will address the entire gaming enterprise within integrated resorts, requiring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations (including financial crime laws) from operators, suppliers and employees. Additionally, the regulations will cover marketing, advertising, and financial transactions, ensuring that these areas comply with the Department of Entertainment and Gaming Regulation.

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) revealed that the performance of its cultural assets in Dubai showed a remarkable recovery following a difficult year imposed by the repercussions of COVID-19 on the world. The Authority’s museums, heritage sites and public libraries attracted more than 521,000 visitors in 2021. Statistics conducted by Dubai Culture showed that museums, heritage sites and public libraries in Dubai are still gaining momentum as touristic, cultural and educational destinations for the public, including UAE citizens, residents and visitors. In 2021, the total number of visits to these sites was 521,753; heritage sites topped the list, recording 50% of total visitors, followed by libraries, with 39%, and museums at 11%. Muna Faisal Algurg, Director of the Museums Department and Acting CEO of the Culture & Heritage Sector at Dubai Culture, affirmed that despite the conditions and repercussions imposed by the pandemic on the cultural and creative sector around the world, Dubai Culture adopted an effective methodology in dealing with the imposed challenges through digital offerings such as virtual tours, workshops, activities, and educational lectures across those sites. Following the lockdown period, Dubai Culture succeeded in reigniting the cultural movement in the emirate and keeping the audience in touch with the history of Dubai and its cultural landmarks. The Authority also ensured the implementation of all the precautionary measures and precautions to guarantee workers and visitors of those sites the highest levels of protection. Algurg indicated that the performance of museums and heritage sites in the emirate is on its path towards a full recovery at a time when the world’s museums are still suffering from the repercussions of the pandemic. Based on a report issued by …

Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, and talabat, the region’s leading food, and q-commerce delivery platform, are expanding their partnership with the Etihad Guest ‘Miles on the Go’ programme to include carbon offsetting until December 2023. The original agreement was signed in September 2021 and allowed Etihad Guest members to earn and redeem miles when ordering food, groceries, and other essentials on the talabat platform in the UAE. Today, Etihad Guest members can also contribute to the Conscious Choices sustainability initiative recently launched by the airline. In partnership with CarbonClick, the project will offset each ride made by a talabat rider through the Miles on the Go programme, helping to contribute to the overall effort by the airline to offset its carbon footprint, making it the first in the world to reward its guests for adopting more sustainable practices. Kim Hardaker, Director Loyalty and Partnerships, Etihad Airways, said: “We are very proud of our Conscious Choices initiative and our venture with talabat through the Miles on the Go programme is an example of our constant strive to find new and innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint. This partnership enhances our commitment and that of our guests towards making a positive impact to a more sustainable future.” Onur Elgun, Vice President of Strategy at talabat, added: “As a company, we are stepping up our efforts to contribute to a more sustainable future focusing on offsetting and reducing our carbon footprint. Therefore, the timing of this couldn’t be better, and it’s an opportunity to positively contribute to projects that create clean energy, a key driver in reducing global carbon emissions”. “We’re very proud to continue expanding our partnership with …

SiteMinder, the world’s leading open hotel commerce platform unveiled the lists of distribution channels that over the past year brought the highest booking revenue to hotels in the Middle East and more than 20 other of the world’s most popular tourism destinations. The list for the Middle East—in line with global trends—reveals a more holistic online commerce strategy, consisting of both new and established methods, is being taken by hotel businesses to reach new customers and produce revenue. This holistic commerce strategy consists of a greater balance between direct and indirect revenue streams, with direct bookings retaining the third position in the Middle East. Globally, direct bookings now rank as one of the top two revenue drivers in more than half (12) of global markets—up from five markets last year and two in 2019—driven by increased investments in booking engines, hotel websites, metasearch, frictionless payments, support from hotel consultants and specialist applications designed for conversion. This year’s lists also feature 29 new distribution channels—including TBOHolidays and Airbnb in the Middle East—reflecting the current aptitude among hotels to embrace new revenue streams in their pursuit of new customers. Additionally, the lists increasingly feature Airbnb, which debuted in the Middle East’s list and two others, and rose in 12 additional markets, in spite of the channel being made available to traditional hospitality businesses only four years ago. Other major findings supporting a greater adoption of a holistic hotel commerce strategy included: The maintained relevance of regional channels, particularly in locations with ongoing reduced international travel. This was exemplified in the Middle East by Dubai-headquartered Destinations of the World by WebBeds. The ongoing importance of wholesalers for many accommodation providers, with leading bedbank …

Majid Al Futtaim and Dreamscape Immersive, the location-based immersive virtual reality company, has announced that it will launch its newest interactive experience MIB: First Assignment at its flagship location at Mall of the Emirates on 27 January. Thanks to the creative minds at Dreamscape and Sony Pictures Virtual Reality (SPVR), Men in Black fans will suit up as agents, swap sunglasses for a VR headset, and step into a heart-pumping, alien-fighting adventure as they free-fly on intergalactic hoverbikes to save the planet from the extraterrestrial world. Advance tickets for the epic adventure go on sale on  14 January and can be purchased on dreamscapeimmersive.com. Walter Parkes, co-founder and CEO of Dreamscape and executive producer of the Men in Black film franchise said, “We are thrilled to partner once again with Majid Al Futtaim, which is at the forefront of entertainment in the Middle East. MIB: First Assignment is launching almost 25 years after the film, demonstrating the enduring appeal of the franchise and, this experience fully immerses fans in an iconic cinematic world, making them the star of their own intergalactic adventure. Since debuting in Los Angeles, it has received rave reviews and we look forward to bringing this new adventure to audiences across the region for the first time.” Ignace Lahoud, Chief Executive Officer at Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas added, “We are extremely excited about expanding our offering at Dreamscape with the launch of a MIB: First Assignment, which transports guests to an immersive new world and allows them to be at the heart of the action. In today’s ultra-competitive landscape, it is essential to provide something extraordinary to attract customers and, at Majid Al Futtaim, …