Category Archives: Hotels

As travellers plan ahead and locals explore destinations closer to home, Four Seasons provides peace of mind with the highest standards of health and safety, personalised experiences and uncompromising luxury. “Exciting new hotel openings, renovations and enhancements are progressing across the portfolio, all with a focus on creating the most exceptional luxury experiences while welcoming guests safely,” says Christian Clerc, President, Global Operations for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “Regardless of the destination, Four Seasons guests can take comfort in knowing that their health and safety is our highest priority.” In May 2020, the company introduced Lead With Care, an enhanced global health and safety program for employees, guests and residents that responds to the evolving nature of the pandemic in concert with local health authorities. Given the fluid and unique situation in each local market, Four Seasons also created Welcome Back, a centralised place to find the latest information about property reopenings and current facility availability, including any temporary changes to the on-property experience.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced its continued expansion in Dubai with the opening of the 290-room upscale Wyndham Dubai Deira, and the 94-key Super 8 by Wyndham Dubai Deira – its first property in the UAE under the stylish economy brand. Located in the historic area of Deira, the newly opened hotels are the first in the highly anticipated Deira Enrichment Project and part of a strategic effort by Wyndham to meet travellers’ growing demand for accommodations at varying price points across the region. The Deira Enrichment Project- a development by Ithra Dubai, fully owned by Investment Corporation of Dubai is a mixed-use development situated along the Dubai creek in the southern part of Deira. With the goal of expanding the urban fabric of the existing Deira community towards the waterfront, the project is expected to become one of the largest waterfronts and man-made developments in the world. Michel Augier, Regional Director, Middle East and Africa, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said, “The Deira Waterfront has great potential to attract visitors from around the world, many of whom bring varying accommodation needs, making it the ideal location to further expand our presence. With distinct offerings from economy to upscale, this marks yet another step in our continued commitment to making hotel travel possible for all.”

TIME Hotels Management has officially taken over the management of the Onyx Hotel Apartments in Al Qusais, Dubai, its fifth property in Dubai and its seventh in the UAE. TIME Hotels took over day-to-day operations of the rebranded TIME Onyx Hotel Apartments Al Qusais on Saturday (December 12) following an official handover ceremony, which was attended by Mohamed Awadalla, CEO, TIME Hotels and Ali Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami Al Suwaidi, Managing Director, Jams HR Solutions. Commenting, Mohamed Awadalla, CEO, TIME Hotels, said, “This latest management acquisition, further reinforces our steady and focused growth strategy to expand our footprint in the UAE responsibly. The UAE hospitality sector has grown steadily in confidence, since the initial COVID-19 lockdown in April and now that vaccines are ready to be rolled out, I am very optimistic that our industry will rebound in 2021, especially during the build up to Expo 2020.” “TIME Onyx Hotel Apartment has been classified as a Deluxe Hotel Apartment and due to our location and our facilities, we are ideally suited for both corporate and leisure guests, whether it’s a short family weekend break, or an executive looking for a base, while making lengthy business trips, or working on local projects,” said Karim Ellecy, General Manager.

Seera Group has signed a global agreement with Hilton. The direct connectivity distribution agreement with Hilton will provide Seera Group customers access to the hotel chain’s current global portfolio of more than 6,300 properties in 118 countries and territories at affordable rates. The agreement also enables Seera to promote destinations where these hotels are located to visitors from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait, and beyond. Abdullah Al-Dawood, Group CEO of Seera Group, said, “As the leading travel and tourism company in the Middle East region, we have consistently focused on redefining the hospitality experience and setting new industry benchmarks. Through our partnership with Hilton, we are expanding our hotel portfolio that will accelerate our business growth and enable our customers to enjoy exceptional hospitality experiences across a wide destination network.” Commenting on the signing, Stijn Bastiaens, Vice President and Commercial Director, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Hilton, said, “We are delighted to have signed the direct connectivity distribution agreement which allows us access to Seera’s overseas offices, as well as additional channels such as Almosafer. Hilton and Seera Group have worked together for more than 15 years and this agreement brings even further value to our partnership. We look forward to offering Seera’s guests exceptional experiences at our properties, all backed by our global Hilton CleanStayprogramme which provides travellers with enhanced standards of cleanliness during all aspects of their stay with us.”

Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Ajman, Ramada by Wyndham Beach Hotel Ajman and Wyndham Garden Ajman Corniche signed a partnership agreement with Evolvin’ Women, a social enterprise dedicated to the advancement of women in developing areas through skills development in the hospitality sector. Ravi Santiago, cluster general manager of Wyndham hotels Ajman, commented, “The collaboration with Evolvin’ Women is an excellent way for us to expand our CSR initiatives by placing emphasis on women empowerment. We believe women will continue to play a big role in the success of any organisation and we aim to highlight their contributions to our hotels whilst enhancing their careers. Through this, we recognise that we will be able to help not just one person or family, but an entire community and encourage younger women, especially from developing countries, to aspire for a rewarding career in hospitality.” Assia Riccio, founder of Evolvin’ Women said, “We have several success stories from the women that were part of the programme since its launch in 2017, and we thank Wyndham hotels Ajman for allowing us to add more inspiring narratives for Evolvin’ Women, and to create progressive and measurable impact. More hotels and companies are affirming the value of inclusivity and women empowerment in the workplace and we hope to see more businesses on board in the future.”

Riu Dubai, Nakheel’s 800-room joint venture with Spain’s RIU Hotels & Resorts, is now open at Deira Islands, adding a new dimension to Dubai’s hospitality offering as the emirate’s first 4-star, 24-hour all-inclusive beachfront resort.  Riu Dubai, Nakheel’s first hospitality joint venture and the first attraction to open at Deira Islands, was inaugurated by Nakheel Chairman, HE Mohammed Al-Shaibani and Luis Riu, Chief Executive Officer of RIU Hotels & Resorts. HE Mohammed Al-Shaibani, Chairman of Nakheel, said, “Nakheel has a long, successful history of creating and delivering a diverse range of tourism and leisure projects in line with government goals, and I am delighted to see our first hospitality joint venture come to fruition. The opening of Riu Dubai is a key milestone for Nakheel, Deira Islands and Dubai, and underlines our commitment to partnering with reputable, international brands to bring new and unique tourism concepts to the emirate.” Luis Riu, Chief Executive Officer of RIU Hotels & Resorts, said. “This is a unique opportunity to offer all our experience with the 24-hour all-inclusive product – so popular among our European and American customers – in a completely new destination. We undertook this enterprise with Nakheel, the best partner you could imagine thanks to its extensive experience in master developments and large-scale destination projects, and its firm commitment to Dubai’s tourism sector.” Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), commented,  “The Riu Dubai is yet another development of distinction by our key partner Nakheel that will contribute towards the growing momentum in the hospitality sector and add to the city’s diversity of offerings designed to enhance the global appeal of Dubai as …

Marriott International announces the official opening of Courtyard by Marriott Riyadh Northern Ring Road in the heart of the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in December 2020, after a soft opening that took place June this year.Featuring stylish accommodation and excellent service, the hotel is ideally located near King Abdullah Financial District, Riyadh Digital City and Riyadh Business Gate and provides easy access to the city’s top leisure attractions, including Riyadh Park, Riyadh Boulevard and famous shopping malls. “Courtyard by Marriott represents one of the fastest growing brands in the region under our portfolio and we are delighted to be opening our fourth Courtyard by Marriott in the Kingdom,” said Guido De Wilde, Chief Operating Officer, Middle East, Marriott International. “The brand is a great fit for the city and its prominent location is perfect for our independent, forward-thinking guests who want to pursue their personal and professional passions while traveling on business or leisure.”

Radisson Hotel Group has plans to more than double its serviced apartments portfolio within the next 5 years across EMEA. Today, serviced apartments represent around 10% of the Group’s EMEA portfolio with 45 properties and more than 5,400 units in operation and under development. Radisson Hotel Group operates its serviced apartments as a stand-alone or a mixed-use development in combination with a traditional hotel operation. Serviced apartments will be developed as a brand extension of the existing Radisson Hotel Group’s brand portfolio to cater to the different segments from midscale to luxury. Elie Younes, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer Radisson Hotel Group said, “For many years we have explored the strong demand for serviced apartments and extended stay products by recognizing it as an attractive risk-adjusted investment proposition that has considerable growth potential. Given its relevance to the current economic climate, this value proposition has recently been further defined in our portfolio, offering a holistic concept with more opportunities for our investors and more possibilities for our guests.”

Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort welcomes guests back to its glorious haven in the clouds. Tourists from the Middle East and beyond can now plan a trip to Oman’s leading resort and apply for a tourist visa to enter the country, provided they have a hotel booking or sponsorship from a local travel agency. Travellers are also required to present two negative COVID-19 PCR tests to be enabled entry in Oman, one no more than 90 hours prior to departure and another conducted at the airport on arrival. For trips less than 7 days, visitors will also be able to bypass the quarantine requirement and freely explore their destination. Experience the time-honoured tradition of Omani hospitality and indulge in exciting escapades while soaking in dramatic canyon views with the prefect getaway at Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar. Located at 2,000m above sea level, this elevated luxury resort offers Omani splendour in the most breathtaking of natural settings.

Marriott International has launched Marriott Bonvoy Business Ready, a new travel programme designed exclusively for small to medium size businesses (SMBs) across Europe, Middle East and Africa. This new offering enables SMBs to book business travel easily and efficiently, whilst accessing preferential rates – when the time is right for them to travel again. “The global pandemic has had significant impact on business travel this year.  However, just like the pent up demand for leisure travel, there is pent up demand for business travel – while we have all had to get used to working remotely this year, people are keen to get back to meeting partners, suppliers and colleagues and connect face to face. There is no virtual replacement for doing business in person.  Marriott Bonvoy Business Ready offers a great new opportunity for small and medium size businesses to efficiently book business travel, earn Marriott Bonvoy points and access great rates across our across Europe, Middle East & Africa portfolio of over 950 hotels and 24 brands across 75 countries and territories.” said Neal Jones, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Marriott International, EMEA.