Category Archives: Hotels

Campbell Gray Hotels is set to open The Merchant House in Manama, Bahrain in September 2018. The Merchant House will be an all-suite boutique hotel with 47 suites in total, each featuring an open plan kitchen and dining area, as well as open plan sitting rooms which have been designed to be ideal for both business and leisure. As with all Campbell Gray Hotels, artwork will be a prominent feature of the interior design and Gordon Campbell Gray has, over the past year, been putting together an exciting art collection comprising of well-established Bahraini artists as well as new and upcoming young talent from both Bahrain and the region. The design is, as with all Campbell Gray Hotels, completely original and has been created specifically for The Merchant House and working within the framework of this unusual building. The design is very much of a garden – very unexpected and very green – and the feel is of a little magic kingdom on the roof; very easy and relaxed, as is the food. There is also a rooftop pool and a gym, as well as a small boardroom for meetings and private events. Every aspect of the hotel has been planned and designed to be fun and relaxed and perfect for the location, being near the Old Customs House and the financial district.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has announced that it will manage a new resort and branded residences in Muscat, which is expected to open in 2021. Mandarin Oriental, Muscat will feature 150 guestrooms and suites, five restaurants and bars, a Spa at Mandarin Oriental and an outdoor swimming pool. A variety of banqueting and meeting spaces will accommodate social and business events. The group will also manage 155 Residences at Mandarin Oriental, which will feature some of the most select private apartments in the capital ranging from 75 to 260 square metres. The property will be located on the beach in a prime city location and the low-rise architectural design will take full advantage of the views over the Arabian sea. The developer is Eagle Hills Muscat, a private real estate investment and development company. “Muscat is an entrancing destination with character, charm and an abundance of visitor attractions. We are delighted to have the opportunity to expand our brand presence on the Arabian Peninsula with this exciting project in partnership with Eagle Hills,” said James Riley, Group Chief Executive, Mandarin Oriental. “We look forward to bringing Mandarin Oriental’s legendary service standards to Muscat,” he added. “We are proud to be entering the Omani market, with our first project in the country. As we take this step, we are pleased to be working in partnership with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, one of the most prestigious names in hospitality,” said Low Ping, CEO, Eagle Hills.

The AA Al Moosa pavilion welcomed the visit of His Highness Sheikh Humaid Bin Ammar Al Nuaimi of Ajman who was received by Abdullah Ahmed Al Moosa, founder and owner of AA Al Moosa Enterprises, and expressed his fascination by the portfolio and history of the company, and the iconis three upcoming hotels in the Palm. The pavilion drew a large number of visitors and served as a key platform for networking and meetings between government officials, key chain hotels executives, major tour operators, partners and representatives of leading travel and tourism companies. The highlight of the group’s participation was the unveiling of three iconic hotel projects that will be opening on the Palm namely Hilton The Palm, TAJ Exotica Resort & Spa and Marriott The Palm. The hotels with a target opening of 2019 will bring an additional 1,500 rooms and suites to the current inventory of hotel rooms in Dubai and will increase the company’s portfolio to a total of 4730 rooms. In addition to Hilton The Palm, TAJ Exotica Resort & Spa and Marriott The Palm, other hotel properties that the Group currently owned were represented at the show such as Hilton Jumeirah Beach, Hilton Salalah, Hilton Creek, Four Points by Sheraton Sheikh Zayed Road, Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Dubai, Ramada Plaza JBR, Ramada Hotel & Suites Sharjah and Crowne Plaza Muscat.

Mövenpick Holding has announced that it has agreed with its partner Kingdom Holding, to sell Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts to AccorHotels. Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has expanded its international presence and today manages more than 20,000 rooms in 84 hotels across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. With 42 additional hotels under development and to open by 2021, the group will further expand its footprint across these continents. With the integration into AccorHotels, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts will continue its long history of success and accelerate its further growth. Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts will have access to a world-renowned customer loyalty programme, benefit from new sales channels and will be able to increase the operational performance of its managed properties. AccorHotels is to pay CHF 560 million for Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals. It should be completed in the second half of 2018. Mövenpick Holding will continue on its strong growth path with Mövenpick Fine Foods, Mövenpick Wein and Marche International.

The historic Alamein resort, built in 1960 and having hosted legendary leaders including Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, second President of Egypt, is gearing up for a contemporary facelift. Emaar Hospitality Group has commenced renovation and redesign work of the property, while maintaining its cultural context and heritage, with the all-new Al Alamein Hotel, managed by Vida Hotel and Resorts, scheduled to open doors to visitors in 2018. It is located centrally in Marassi, the master-planned lifestyle and tourism destination by Emaar Misr. Al Alamein Hotel is the 14th upcoming project under Vida Hotels and Resorts. Al Alamein Hotel’s location along the Sidi Abdel Rahman Bay will make it a preferred hospitality destination by the Mediterranean for visitors not only from Egypt but across Europe and other parts of the world. The nearest international airport – Burj Al Arab Airport in Alexandria is just about two hours’ drive while the Al Alamein National Airport is less than 45 minutes away. Both airports offer direct connections to major European cities. To feature 189 rooms including luxury chalets, Al Alamein Hotel will have several enhanced features that maximise its beachfront location. Among the amenities awaiting visitors include additional outdoor seating to enjoy a relaxing day overlooking the soothing waters of the bay, a beach outlet, a rooftop lounge, a fully-equipped fitness centre, swimming pool, tennis court, and spa with treatment rooms and external marquees.

At this year’s Arabian Travel Awards, Aitken Spence Hotels is set to launch its first ‘Heritance’ property overseas, with the introduction of Heritance Aarah in winter 2018. The property, nestled in an island in Raa Atoll, 40 minutes from the Male International Airport will embrace the brand promise of the ‘Heritance’ chain of hotels. Operating as an all inclusive resort, Heritance Aarah will open doors to 26 intimate luxury duplex ocean suites, 56 sunset ocean villas and 68 land villas ranging from beach villas to pool beach villas, family beach villas and family pool beach villas. With five successful Heritance hotels and resorts in Sri Lanka, each boasting of inimitable stories of culture merging with hospitality and comfort, the move to open this latest resort comes with the expansion plans of Aitken Spence Hotels. The latest addition will be different and distinctive from the ‘Adaaran’ brand and introduce its beloved sister brand ‘Heritance’, bringing to Maldives a unique proposition of quintessentially traditional, curated experiences delicately woven into star-classed luxury. The six dining outlets includes flavours from hawker stalls to western farmers’ market, from France and Italy to the Middle east, Sri Lanka, Delhi, Istanbul, Mexico and Tokyo. The three bars include an exclusive space for Ocean Suite guests, poolside bar and an open-air rooftop venue.

Marriott International has signed a distribution co-operation agreement with Al Tayyar Travel Group (ATG), which will establish direct connectivity between the two companies and allow ATG to pull inventory and rates in real time from Marriott International’s reservations systems. The agreement is mutually beneficial to both companies as Marriott International will have access to ATG’s wide reaching network within KSA and beyond. Neal Jones, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Middle East & Africa, Marriott International said, “We are delighted to consolidate our partnership with this exciting new connectivity announcement. Al Tayyar Travel Group has invested significantly in technology and payment platforms, and Marriott International is extremely proud to be able to dynamically connect our reservation systems to the mutual benefit of our companies. This will ultimately provide better service and availability of inventory to the travel trade and consumers in the MENA region.” “Our partnership with Marriott International provides customers with seamless access to a globally renowned hospitality company, and its wide-ranging offer of brands and properties, as well as the best available rates,” said Abdullah Aldawood, CEO, Al Tayyar Travel Group. “This agreement will further accelerate the growth of our company. We are delivering on our transformation strategy of being a leading online travel agency and holiday advisor in MENA, offering Omni-channel travel services,” Aldawood said.

Dusit International has signed a management agreement with Dar Al-Huda Hotel Apartments SPC to operate Dusit Resort and Spa Lagoona Beach in Al Budaiya in Bahrain. The hotel comprises 174 spacious, well-appointed seafront apartments, each with sea views. Alongside a health and fitness centre with gender segregated spas and swimming pools, resort amenities include water sports, zip-lines, private islands, meeting facilities, a kids’ club and an all-day-dining restaurant. A luxury villa complex with water park is also being planned. Dusit Resort and Spa Lagoona Beach will be the second Dusit-branded property in Bahrain. It follows last year’s signing of Dusit D2 City Centre Bahrain, which is slated to open by the end of the year. In line with Dusit International’s strategy for sustainable and profitable growth, which includes balancing its portfolio to include half of its operations outside of Thailand by 2022, the company’s current tally of 27 properties is set to top 70 within the next four years. “Our aim is to have at least 25 hotels in operation in the region by 2020, representing 5,700 keys,” said Lim Boon Kwee, Chief Operating Officer, Dusit International. “The best way to achieve this, of course, is by ensuring we always go the extra mile to delight our guests and customers with our unique brand of gracious hospitality. We are delighted Dar Al-Huda Hotel Apartments SPC has given us that opportunity at Dusit Resort and Spa Lagoona Beach. This is an excellent property in a prime location, and we look forward to making it a huge success,”Kwee said.

Central Hotels will debut in Turkey with the signing of a strategic agreement with Green Valley Real Estate to operate the company’s hotels in the country under a new brand ‘Valley Central Suites’. The first two hotels to be managed by Central Hotels in Turkey are The Valley Central Suites Bursa and Valley Central Suites Trabzon followed by other projects in Yaluva and Sapanca. This special agreement between the two parties will subsequently extend to Green Valley Real Estate’s hotels in Morocco, Georgia and Bosnia. Ali Al Salami, Group Director General, Green Valley Real Estate, stated, “We are delighted to collaborate with Central Hotels to manage our hotels in Turkey. This agreement fulfils our commitment to our valued customers who have bought their units in Turkey.” Established in 2004, the Green Valley Real Estate Group owns a total of 42 real estate development projects worldwide. Ahmad Al Abdulla, Chairman, Central Hotels, said, “We are very excited to expand our footprint with a strong and prominent partner such as Green Valley Real Estate. This presents us an excellent opportunity to accelerate the growth of our brand outside the UAE.” Located near the port of Bursa and the Mudanya Corniche, Valley Central Suites in Bursa boasts of 111 fully furnished suites consisting of one and two-bedroom apartments as well as duplex apartments offering either three or four rooms. Included in its fabulous facilities are integrated residential complex services, private swimming pool, children’s garden and play area and dedicated parking for owners.

The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) has signed a management agreement with Emaar Hospitality Group to operate a lifestyle boutique hotel – Vida Al Qasba Sharjah in Al Qasba. The hotel featuring 100 rooms and suites is uniquely positioned to meet the increasing demand for spacious and quality hotel rooms in Sharjah. Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO, Shurooq and Olivier Harnisch, CEO, Emaar Hospitality Group, signed the management agreement in the presence of senior officials of both entities. Commenting on the agreement, Al Sarkal said, “Sharjah’s tourism sector has recorded consistent growth with the number of hotel guests set to increase from 2.07 million in 2017 to over 3.16 million in the next two years. To meet the demand, it is important to strengthen the supply of quality hotels that meet the lifestyle aspirations of the visitors. We chose Emaar Hospitality Group’s Vida Hotels and Resorts to operate our boutique hotel in Al Qasba, led by its credentials in creating a refreshingly different experience for the new generation of travellers.” Harnisch said, “Vida Hotels and Resorts has brought a fresh identity to the hospitality sector of the region with our focus on two defining features that meet the aspirations of the new generation of travellers – design-led spaces and connectivity. Sharjah has tremendous potential of growth for its hospitality and tourism sectors. Vida Al Qasba Sharjah addresses a distinctive white space in the market through its positioning as a lively and vibrant hub where inspiring minds meet and connect.”