Tag Archives: hotels

Marriott International, Inc. announced it has signed an agreement with Rua Al Madinah Holding Company to open eight hotels in the Holy City of Madinah in Saudi Arabia. Located in close proximity to the Prophet’s Mosque, Al Masjid An Nabawi, the planned properties will be part of the Rua Al Madinah Project which aims to elevate the service and travel experience for visitors of Madinah. The anticipated openings will feature approximately 4,400 rooms across eight of the company’s brands – The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft Hotels, and Courtyard by Marriott. “There is a strong demand for high-quality hotel accommodation in Madinah and we are delighted to work with Rua Al Madinah Holding Company to support the enhancement and diversification of the city’s hospitality landscape,” said Satya Anand, President, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International. “This multi-deal agreement also strengthens our footprint in Saudi Arabia where we continue to see strong growth momentum in line with the Kingdom’s vision for its tourism sector.” “The agreement with one of the world’s leading hospitality operators brings the Rua Al Madinah project a step closer to realising its ambitions to further enrich Madinah city’s Hajj and Umrah services,” commented Eng. Ahmed Al Juhani, CEO of Rua Al Madinah Holding Company. “This collaboration will culminate in the launch of eight new hotels and nearly 4.400 rooms that will serve both residents as well as visitors from around the world looking to visit Madinah.” The eight planned properties include The Ritz-Carlton, Rua Al Madinah which is slated to offer 151 luxurious rooms and suites including a signature Ritz-Carlton suite, multiple …

UAE-based smart and green facilities management company Farnek has launched a new state-of-the-art online remote digital platform called PowerTek, which was developed by in-house experts, at Farnek’s innovative digital solutions, sister company HITEK. The comprehensive and data-driven energy performance monitoring tool supports hotels and the wider business community, through efficient measuring, tracking, monitoring and benchmarking of energy and water consumption as well as waste management. “This analysis helps to reduce carbon emissions, which are key to fulfilling any roadmap towards net zero,” said Nadia Ibrahim, Director – Consultancy & Sustainability at Farnek. PowerTek analyses consumption and waste, with respect to multiple variables that can influence a hotel’s environmental metrics such as occupancy, guest nights, number of guest rooms, F&B covers, guest profiles, staff hours, air-conditioned areas as well as general weather conditions. This helps hotels to maintain higher operational efficiency, lower costs and the associated carbon emissions. “Following the science, to prevent irreversible climate change, we must restrict the global increase in temperature to 1.5°C. To achieve this, the net emissions of greenhouse gases (CO2e) will need to be reduced by up to 50% by 2030 and reach net zero levels by around 2050. “Putting that into perspective, according to an international study by Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, the hospitality industry needs to reduce its carbon emissions by 66% per room by 2030, and by 90% per room by 2050. Currently the hospitality industry is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. “These statistics clearly underscore the urgency of combatting climate change. Hotels have just seven years to reduce their emissions by nearly two thirds,” added Ibrahim. According to Farnek’s analysis, which uses data from its own hotel clients as well as …

Hilton is on its way to introduce Bo Vue Hotel in Bodrum, its part of the Curio Collection by Hilton and one of the first to open by April this year. Situated along the Aegean Coast, The Bo Vue Hotel Bodrum, Curio Collection by Hilton is home to 1.2 kilometres of private white sandy beach and 102 stylish, modern rooms, complete with glittering sea views. Guests can enjoy a range of world-class dining options, including delicious Mediterranean and Aegean cuisine at Bo Giorno, Turkish feasts at Delmanzo or sumptuous seafood at Bacalao. Those looking to unwind won’t be short of options – indulge in a relaxing treatment at the ‘Spa Soul’ or take a refreshing dip in either the indoor or outdoor pool. For travellers looking for a little more adventure – the hotel is ideally located for local exploration – just a short drive away from the popular town of Yalikavak and a 40-minute drive to Bodrum Castle and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Welcoming guests from April 2023.

Global smart hospitality solutions provider, Hudini, is set to close a record year for the business having witnessed unprecedented growth in 2022. Hudini enables hotels to provide a connected guest journey from pre-arrival to post departure, ensuring a faster, contactless, and hyper-personalized service delivery. The company’s hospitality middleware platform connects over 100 hospitality applications in one single guest interface. Driven by data and AI, Hudini’s proprietary software works across all touch points of the guest journey from online booking, mobile check-in and digital room keys to in-room services, communication, check-out, and payments. With over 300 hotels across 25 countries, Hudini is fast becoming the industry benchmark for digital transformation in the hospitality industry. The hospitality industry relies on its ability to connect people and the places they visit to create memorable experiences for its guests. In its revitalization post-pandemic, the industry is realizing the impact that technology can have on a guest’s stay, and the potential it holds to increase customer loyalty and create additional revenue. In fact, a recent study found that 62% of hotel executives said they would have “a fully contactless experience” by 2025. “It’s been an incredibly exciting year for us and we have evolved in so many ways over the past twelve months, from our product offering and team to our partners and customers,” said Prince Thampi, Founder and CEO of Hudini. “The global pandemic has not just accelerated the demand for contactless technology to provide a safe and seamless guest experience, but more importantly, has caused a significant shift in mindset when it comes to digital transformation in hospitality. Hoteliers are increasingly looking for ways to differentiate and personalize their guest experience, achieve better …

As the advisory arm of Ras Al Khaimah Hospitality Holding (RAKHH), in the past 5 years, Stirling Hospitality Advisors (SHA) has consulted on close to 30 projects in the northern emirate, including hotels, luxury resorts, experiential camps and more. According to the latest data from Ras Al Khaimah’s municipality, the emirate experienced a 45 per cent increase in overall real estate transactions in the first half of 2022, compared to H1 2021. In that period alone, it recorded more than AED 4 billion worth of real estate transactions, further cementing its position as an attractive real estate and hospitality investment hub for hotel groups and investors. With a series of recent hotel openings and tourism activations, the northern emirate has been leading the region’s tourism sector thanks to its diverse offerings that cater to guests across all age groups and interests. The latest announcement from Wynn Resorts marks the first integrated resort in the GCC, bringing another unique hospitality offering to the region. Additionally, the emirate was also selected by Time magazine as one of its World’s Greatest Places of 2022 for its stunning geodiversity and superlative outdoor adventure offerings. Amongst the various destinations SHA currently oversees projects in, the consultancy played an instrumental role in developing the Northern Emirate into a world-renowned tourist destination for active and family tourism. Over the past 5 years, SHA has participated in the pre-opening and opening of 10 hotel projects across its portfolio, showcasing its superlative industry experience in successfully transitioning hotels from concept development to operational. Tatiana Veller, Managing Director of Stirling Hospitality Advisors said: “Ras Al Khaimah is an increasingly attractive market for investors and real estate owners at the moment. …

Thynk announced its partnership with Saudi Arabia-based Dur Hospitality, a leading Saudi hospitality company recognized for its extensive record in managing, developing, and operating a broad portfolio of hotels and residential compounds across the Kingdom, at the Future Hospitality Summit in Dubai. Developed by hoteliers for hoteliers and powered by Salesforce®, the world’s largest Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, Thynk.Cloud is designed to simplify and automate sales, operations, decision making, and data management for hotels of any size. The partnership will enable the sales organization at Dur Hospitality to further enhance the way they manage their B2B business relationships and maximize their sales productivity and efficiency. Pascal Petit, Co-founder & CEO at Thynk.Cloud, said: “We are excited to be working with Dur Hospitality, a company at the forefront of our industry when it comes to modern hospitality, agility and innovation. Together, our goal is to deliver a smart, modern system that not just streamlines processes and drives efficiency but enables hotel teams to deliver a unique guest experience, whether that’s in one of the Group’s branded hotels or in an independently managed property.” Commenting on the announcement, President of Hotel Operations at Dur Hospitality, Hassan Ahdab, said: “Our collaboration with Thynk provides an immense opportunity to interconnect our processes further and accelerate enhanced customer experiences. Thynk’s innovative digital ecosystem will drive personalization across our properties, amplifying our customer-centric approach and empowering our team members to make data-driven decisions in real-time while communicating with ”one voice”. Together, we will take customer-focused service to the next level”. “We have a shared vision to make hospitality an attractive and rewarding career for the next generation of hoteliers. We are committed to providing hotel …

On World Tourism Day, Google is launching two free tools to help the travel industry in the Middle East and North Africa identify timely travel demand and make better-informed decisions. The tools are launched under the ‘Travel Insights with Google’ website which includes two new tools available in both English and in Arabic; Destination Insights and Hotel Insights. According to Google Trends, people in Saudi Arabia searched for many countries in the past 8 months including Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Thailand the UAE and the UK (London in particular). Additionally, searches from Saudi Arabia for “booking tickets” this year have increased 153% compared to previous year. In the UAE, according to Google Trends, people searched for local entertainment destinations in the past 8 months including the Dubai Fountain and Dubai Butterfly Garden, as well as hotels located locally in the UAE and in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, searches from UAE for “ticket prices” this year have increased 122% compared to previous year. These and similar insights can be helpful for businesses to connect with people searching to travel and plan their campaigns. By leveraging the tools, businesses in the travel and tourism industry can discover insights to reach global travelers, whether they are departing or arriving in MENA, at every stage of their journey, from dreaming about their next travel destination, to booking flights and hotels. Destination Insights The Destination Insights tool will give travel businesses, governments and tourism boards a clear picture of the top sources of demand for a destination, and the destinations within their countries that travelers are most interested in visiting. It also allows businesses to explore how tourism demand is changing, compared to previous months’ or years’ demand and adjust marketing …

Celebrating World tourism day this year comes in with a lot more hope and aspirations for the sector, as UNWTO declares its theme as “Rethinking tourism” – it also amplifies “tourism for all”. Accessibility and sustainable tourism are key factors that are being addressed by the world tourism organisations, Iftikhar Hamdani – Area General Manager – Norther Emirates – Coral Beach Resort Sharjah and Bahi Ajman Palace Hotel, share his views on accessibility in tourism, “in my opinion this is moral responsibility to focus on all means to accommodate all type of accessible guests. In our hotel we made sure that guests with hearing difficulties enjoy using Amsaan technology to be at par with other guests. We hosted groups with hearing difficulties from Pakistan and Armenia and their experience was awesome. I personally met with them and hear the story of their amazing stay. In the past I personally organized Blind World Cricket Cup, 8 International blind cricket teams stayed in my previous hotel without any issue, it was one of best event in my life. Seeing people with visual challenge enjoyed the international event and staff played vital role in the success. At HMH level we are trying our best to make sure that our hotels to offer positive travel experiences to people with different needs by addressing them from various perspectives, and by providing service solutions that fit to their needs as much as possible. This is moral and responsible thinking for hospitality business to provide physical and communication access to the people of determination. Tourism Board globally to make it mandatory for the accommodation provider to establish accessible facilities. to ensure tourist destinations, products, and services are accessible to …

The first ever 25hours Hotel in the Middle East has finally opened, overlooking the stunning Museum of the Future and just a stone’s throw away from Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Relaxed, fun and packed full of things to do; guests of 25hours Hotel One Central will experience ancient traditions of the Bedouins brought back to a modern life. Boasting 434 rooms and suites, 25hours Hotel One Central seamlessly blends nomadic yet contemporary design, masterminded by world renowned interior design firm, Woods Bagot. Unapparelled gastronomy and eclectic experiences making it the perfect playground for travelers and residents of the city to enjoy and revel in. Commenting on the launch, Christoph Hoffman, CEO 25hours said, “We are thrilled to be finally opening doors to the 25hours Hotel One Central playground and welcoming the local community and travelers from all across the globe. All our experiences and offerings have been carefully curated to make this property truly multi-dimensional – a living room, a party paradise, a romantic getaway or simply the go to destination for creative business meetings and co-working. This is one of the most exciting projects I have worked on, and me along with our incredible team are looking forward to paving the way for a new hospitality experience standard in Dubai.” The urban tale starts in the 25hours Hotel One Central lobby where guests will be greeted by the ‘Fountain of Tales’, a colossal fountain with seating spaces and bookshelves featuring over 5,000 books. Adorning the top of the fountain is a rotating lit up globe showcasing artwork created by a number of local artists around the concept of modern nomadic lifestyle. As guest scan upwards, they will find …

The number of guests staying in Abu Dhabi hotels during August rose by 10.5 per cent compared to the same month in 2017, reveal the latest figures released by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi). August’s results show that the Department’s targets of improving upon 2017’s record-breaking numbers of guest arrivals, when close to five million people stayed in the emirate, are firmly on track. Overall, 477,606 visitors enjoyed stays at one of Abu Dhabi’s 162 hotels and hotel apartments during August 2018, an increase of more than 45,000 over August 2017. For the first eight months of the year, the figures show Abu Dhabi has recorded more than 3.31 million guests, a 5.8 per cent boost in the total number of hotel guests to the emirate compared to the last year. The Chinese market recorded a strong improvement during this month, up by almost 9 per cent compared to August 2017, and on a year-to-date basis, China is still Abu Dhabi’s number one source market – up about 13 per cent in total compared to 2017. Indian hotels also recorded 22 per cent growth during this month with the arrival of Indian guests. Saudi guests increased for a third consecutive month during August, recording a growth of about 24 per cent compared to August 2017. The US market also performed well, with the number of American guests increasing by almost 35 per cent. For the year-to-date, American hotel guests were up by almost 26 per cent compared to 2017. The UK posted 3.6 per cent increase for the month, but despite this, for the year-to-date, visitors from the UK are up by 8 …