Category Archives: Hotels

Hilton’s Hampton by Hilton and wasl Asset Management Group, celebrated the hotel brand’s Middle East debut with the opening of Hampton by Hilton Dubai Airport. The contemporary 420-room hotel is the world’s largest till date and is located just a few kilometres away from the Dubai International Airport and the Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA). The highly-anticipated property brings Hampton by Hilton’s signature value-added services and amenities for the first time to the region, with a free, hot breakfast with healthy options included in every stay, a 24/7 business centre, complimentary Wi-Fi and spacious rooms fitted with Hampton’s signature comfy bed. Tailored to meet the expectations of the regional market, Hampton by Hilton Dubai Airport also boasts a large infinity pool surrounded by lush green landscapes and a state-of-the-art rooftop gym with panoramic views of the Dubai skyline. Globally recognised for its unparalleled approach to hospitality and friendly, caring service culture known as ‘Hamptonality’, Hampton by Hilton aims to serve the region’s growing demand for mid-market hotels – particularly among millennial travellers, who are increasingly prioritising value in their search for accommodation.

Sabre Corporation has announced the launch of Business Travel Services, the new consolidated solution suite from Sabre Hospitality Solutions offering hoteliers easy-to-use tools with time-saving automations and simplified processes, access to industry insights and expert guidance, unlimited access to travel management companies and consortia partners – all in one place. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is set to be one of the first hotel companies to use this solution. Business Travel Services will be available to hoteliers of all sizes from Summer 2019. The suite will consist of three historically separate elements that connect both sides of the corporate market – Nexus platform: A system of record for hotel groups used to manage all corporate contracts, sales performance and planning across teams and properties. Sabre Hotel RFP: An exclusive lead-generation tool that manages corporate business travel for more than 2,700 of the most travelled companies in the world. Corporate travel buyers make bids for properties to accept. Consortia Services: A tool that provides access and services to hotels looking to complete submissions to the top 30 consortia programmes. “As we listened to customers, it was clear there was a need for a more holistic approach to corporate hotel bookings,” said Clinton Anderson, President, Sabre Hospitality Solutions. “By combining our existing offerings and collaborating with IHG to further develop this solution suite, we will provide hoteliers, from enterprise to independent, the opportunity to make their rates available to a much broader audience.” “IHG has a long history of digital and technological innovation – and we’re currently rolling out our own hotel management tool, IHG Concerto, which allows us to partner with a range of solution providers. So, choosing to work with Sabre …

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has announced that hotel occupancy rates in Abu Dhabi during Eid Al Adha 2018 averaged 81 per cent across the four days from August 21st to August 24th. This represented an impressive six percentage point increase compared to the average occupancy figure of 75 per cent during Eid Al Adha in 2017, further underlining the Emirate’s strong appeal as a destination of distinction for family leisure and entertainment. The highest occupancy rate (87 per cent) was recorded on the second day of Eid. This exceptional holiday period saw a surge in visitors from both the UAE and further afield, with Emiratis, Saudis, Indians, British and Americans making up 55 per cent of total visitors. Commenting on the numbers, HE Saif Saeed Ghobash, Undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “Once again, Abu Dhabi demonstrates its position as a leading tourism destination for visitors from the region and beyond. We are making strong progress in achieving our forecast guest arrivals growth for the year. Eid Al Adha provided further impetus as the capital welcomed a record-breaking number of visitors, with many of our leading hotels achieving near full occupancy with tourists choosing Abu Dhabi as the place to spend their holiday. Our diverse potfolio of attractions, the recently opened Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi in particular, Abu Dhabi Summer Season and our ever-growing year-round programme of events, and our established credentials as a tourist and leisure destination provides us with persuasive reasons for travelers to choose the emirate as a ‘must-visit’ year-round location”.

Dubai will welcome The Museum of Illusions on September 12 at the emirate’s Al Seef development located near Dubai Creek. Museum of Illusions Dubai will boast the largest collection of optical illusions in the Museum of Illusions’ worldwide portfolio. Housing 80 exhibits of all shapes and sizes, the Dubai museum will tantalise visitors in a unique visual and sensory experience. Museum of Illusions Dubai opens to the public on September 12. Since opening for the first time in the Croatian capital of Zagreb in 2015, six further Museum of Illusions have quickly followed and over half a dozen more are slated for 2018 alone, including Athens, New York, Toronto and Berlin. A flagship attraction in the heritage and cultural development on Dubai Creek, the full line-up of exhibits at Museum of Illusions Dubai is a closely-guarded secret until its formal opening on September 12th, 2018. The Dubai venue will feature the Vortex Tunnel, a rotating cylinder that tricks the brain into thinking the ground under their feet is shifting, as well as the Ames Room, where guests shrink or grow depending on their position in the exhibit. Unlike more ‘classical’ museums, visitors to Museum of Illusions Dubai will be encouraged to interact with the exhibits and take as many photos as they can during their visual, sensual and educational adventure – it’s all part of the Museum’s distinctly unique ‘etiquette’ for guests.

Miral, Yas Island’s creator of destinations has joined efforts with Microsoft on an ambitious digital-transformation journey that promises to reshape the global leisure and entertainment industry. By adopting key Microsoft technologies, Miral will deliver unparalleled guest experiences to tens of millions of annual visitors, setting new benchmarks for innovation in the sector. Miral is the developer and promoter of Yas Island, a family entertainment and leisure destination including a range of world-class attractions, theme parks such as Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld and the Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, that was recently opened to the public on 25 July. “Our vision is to transform Yas Island into a globally recognised wall-less destination, increasing annual footfall to 48 million visitors by 2022, and this digital transformation project is part of delivering on our promise and achieving our vision,” said Eng. Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, CEO of Miral. “Creating personalised seamless experiences by harmoniously bridging the gap between physical and digital was our main priority. The goal was to allow visitors to plan their journey before they arrive, tailor their experiences to their desires and continue to revisit their memories as they leave Yas Island. We selected Microsoft as our trusted technology partner because we have strong confidence in their solutions as well as their in-depth global experience in similar industries, which will help us achieve the sought results,” added Al Zaabi.

Marriott International has officially unified the Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards programmes. For the first time since Marriott International acquired Starwood Hotels and Resorts in 2016, the programmes now operate under one set of unified benefits and one currency spanning the entire loyalty portfolio of 29 brands and more than 6,700 participating hotels in 130 countries and territories. Members are able to seamlessly earn and redeem across the entire loyalty portfolio and achieve Elite status faster with new Elite tiers. Members can now combine their separate program accounts into one at Marriott.com or SPG.com to take advantage of everything Marriott International’s loyalty programmes offer worldwide. Together, the unified programs are richer. Members now earn on average 20 percent more points per dollar spent and have their Elite status recognized consistently at every hotel as they indulge in the elevated benefits they’ve earned. Additionally, members now have the added convenience to book stays throughout the portfolio on Marriott.com, SPG.com, and the Marriott and SPG apps, or by contacting customer engagement centers. “This is an exciting time for our loyalty members who now have endless inspiration to travel and experience the world to create memories that will last a lifetime,” said David Flueck, Senior Vice President, Global Loyalty, Marriott International. “We merged the incredible earning and redeeming power of Marriott Rewards with the phenomenal Elite benefits of SPG to create one of the richest travel loyalty programs with the most extraordinary global portfolio of hotels – from overwater bungalows, to mountainside ski resorts, to iconic urban landmarks.”

Al Raid Group has announced that the construction of Al Araimi Boulevard (ABLVD) mall is well underway and will open in September. Al Araimi Boulevard is a venture of the Al Raid group, one of the leading pioneers in developing futuristic shopping malls and leisure destinations in Oman. This one-of-a-kind mall combines cutting edge technology, design and emerging concepts, to create a world-class, state-of-the-art facility. Classified among the top 25 new malls in the world, Al Araimi Boulevard draws inspiration from the beauty and diversity of Oman and has been designed for families and those young at heart. With 70,500 sqm of space to be leased out, Al Araimi Boulevard will accommodate fashion stores of all kinds offering something for everyone-trendy, ubercool and everything in between. The finest collection of labels from around the world will keep shoppers coming back for more. Entertainment options at this mall will be of another level, with its cine screens, a unique interactive wall and mesmerizing kinetic lighting displays, not to mention the largest Kid’s World of its kind in Oman. Sheikh Raid Abdullah Al Araimi, Vice Chairman of Al Raid Group said, “Al Araimi Boulevard will set new standards in the retail sector. It is being built on a completely futuristic design and concept, that will redefine the way people shop, relax and get entertained. The mall has plenty of room for more fashion brands to make their presence felt. Al Araimi Boulevard is expected to generate over 2,000 direct and indirect job opportunities to the local workforce and will be a one-of-its-kind experience for anyone and everyone.”

Kleindienst Group, developer of The Heart of Europe, a cluster of six islands on The World, unveiled the first Sweden Beach Palace at Sweden Island in Dubai. The Sweden Beach Palaces will consist of nine luxurious palaces, plus one super-sized version, set in the beautifully landscaped Sweden Island. Each property will have its own private section of beach, and unique to the palaces, a fully-owned piece of the marine area plot, including a private coral reef. The properties have been designed as second homes, Dubai’s first purpose-built luxury area for UAE residents to own a holiday property in their own country. Josef Kleindienst, Chairman, Kleindienst Group said, “Catering to residents and visitors who are looking for a dynamic, cultural experience, our developments at The Heart of Europe will boost tourism in the UAE. It will also offer investors the opportunity to choose from a range of high quality holiday properties that will be part of a vibrant touristic destination that includes hotels, restaurants and world-class attractions. Our journey to date has taken us to the unveiling of the Sweden Beach Palaces, one of the most luxurious freehold second homes in the UAE.” The first Sweden Beach Palace features seven plush bedrooms, each with its own en-suite bathroom. Five of the palaces will be fitted out with Bentley Home interiors, while the remaining properties will be bespoke to the individual owners.

IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has introduced IHG Business Edge, a comprehensive programme designed to enhance the corporate travel experience for small and midsize enterprises (SMEs). Prior to launch, 1,500 companies have already signed up as members, eager to benefit from a program designed to streamline the negotiation process, reward loyalty, and consolidate data, content and booking into one easily accessible customer portal. IHG Business Edge has been in development for the past year, and was built based on the insights of 2,100 global SME customers, and then piloted with 300 companies across 17 countries. Through this process, the companies made it clear they wanted to benefit from some of the competitive advantages traditionally enjoyed by large enterprise customers, and were looking for a partner that understood small business and could provide them with meaningful resources and content that they couldn’t get on their own. Derek DeCross, SVP, Global Sales, IHG, said, “We knew that there was an unmet need for a travel buying program specifically designed for SMEs – a group of customers who can often be underserved by the industry. We worked together with SMEs to design the program and they told us that a discount program alone is not compelling enough to drive their loyalty and engagement. They didn’t want lengthy negotiations – but rather a rich discount they could count on, reliable reporting and insight into the latest information, as well as access to a diverse corporate network of other “similar” organisations.”

The team of Golden Sands Hotel Apartments, part of AA Al Moosa Enterprises, recently participated at the Dubai tourism roadshow in India. The team joined the delegation headed by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) that visited the cities of Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad and Mumbai and met with potential partners and buyers, in a move to further boost the overall number of Indian travellers to Dubai. According to DTCM, visitors from India have increased by 7 per cent in the first quarter of 2018. Mohammed Khoori, General Manager, Golden Sands Hotel Apartments said, “We are very keen to get a share of this growing market so we met with several partners who can promote Golden Sands Hotel Apartments to travellers from these four cities. We received great feedback from tour operators and travel agencies who informed us that Indian travellers coming to the UAE are choosing Golden Sands as their preferred accommodation.” The team focused on meeting travel agents and tour operators who are selling the destination to family and individuals as well as niche segments such as small family group, golf, wedding and luxury. Representatives from hotels, airline heads, opinion leaders and heads of key travel trade associations along with travel operators were invited to attend the four-day roadshow.