Tag Archives: Haitham Mattar

IHG Hotels & Resorts has announced the signing of InterContinental Riyadh King Fahed Road, as part of a Master Development Agreement (MDA) with RIVA Development Company via its wholly owned subsidiary RIVA Hospitality for Hotel Services Company. The latest development follows the signing of Hotel Indigo Riyadh King Abdallah Road, and is the second of at least 7 hotels to be announced with the partner, with all openings set to take place in Saudi Arabia across IHG’s portfolio of brands in the coming years. Pioneering luxury travel since 1946, this year, the iconic InterContinental brand is celebrating its 75th Diamond anniversary . The brand also has a strong legacy in Saudi Arabia, having opened InterContinental Riyadh, in 1975 – IHG, has since positioned itself as one of the largest hospitality players in the country. Over the years, IHG continues evolve its luxury offering and have a strong foothold in the segment through the flagship brand, InterContinental which has great recognition in the Kingdom. Expected to open in March 2025, InterContinental Riyadh King Fahed Road will add to IHG’s current brand portfolio of 9 operating InterContinental hotels in the Kingdom. The hotel will represent the best in class product with a refreshed, modern design, and will feature 250 elegantly appointed guest rooms and 150-unit apartments as part of InterContinental Residences as well as a pool, fitness centre and spa where guests can relax and rejuvenate. True to the evolved brand, the hotel will offer its guests bespoke and intuitive services. Additionally, true Saudi hospitality can be experienced at any of the hotel’s five dining options which will provide guests with a diverse and fine selection of culinary delights to enjoy. InterContinental Riyadh …

IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed a management agreement with ASRE Limited to introduce its premium brand, voco into Dubai’s exquisite destination, Palm Jumeirah. voco Dubai Palm Jumeirah will feature 141 rooms and open its doors to guests in December 2021. The new hotel joins the voco family in Dubai, with voco Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road and the soon to open voco Bonnington Jumeirah Lakes Towers Dubai. Palm Jumeirah is a manmade island built on reclaimed land resembling a stylised palm tree if viewed from above. voco Dubai Palm Jumeirah will be a part of a trendy, newly launched area called “Palm West Beach” developed by Nakheel, comprising of strong dining concepts and a promenade along the beach. On opening, voco Dubai Palm Jumeirah will display a bold identity and will feature vibrant guest rooms. The hotel will also feature a 55sqm meeting room, a gym, pool, and spa, to cater to the demands of both leisure and business travellers. To offer its guests a tasteful experience that reflects its strategic F&B location, the hotel will offer four different dining options. Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG said: “As part of our growth strategy in the region and UAE in particular, we are pleased to partner with ASRE Limited to open another voco hotel in Dubai – voco Dubai Palm Jumeirah. With the hotel’s strategic location on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, we are set to make a strong entry in this dynamic location. He added, The voco brand is known to combine the informality and charm of an independent hotel with the quality and reassurance of a trusted global brand. With both new built and conversion opportunities, …

IHG Hotels & Resorts, has signed a Management Agreement with Mabany Edris to open Holiday Inn New Assiut Asayla. The hotel was signed at a ceremony in Egypt in presence of Abdel Fattah Al-Assi, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities and Mohamad Anwar, Deputy Head of Urban Communities Authorities. IHG has a strong legacy in Egypt, having opened its first hotel in 1980s, and currently operates over 2000 rooms and have more than 800 rooms in the pipeline, across brands. The announcement follows several high-profile signings this year, across IHG’ luxury and lifestyle, premium, essentials and suites collections, underscoring the company’s progressive expansion plans across the MEA region. Further, the signing strengthens IHG’s mainstream portfolio in MEA, in line with demands across key markets in the region. Commenting on the signing, Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG said, “As Egypt continues to appeal to business and leisure travellers, we are committed to accelerating our growth and diversify our offering to cater to the needs of varied guest profiles, and also supporting development of new cities and tourist destinations in the country . We are also very pleased with the strong progress we are making in expanding our presence in the mainstream segment across the MEA region. The region is poised for a new era of travel as it undergoes a historic period of growth and transformation, and we anticipate demand from a wider base of travellers who will look for wide-ranging hospitality options. He added, We are excited about this new venture with our partner Mabany Edris who has a wealth of experience in the property sector locally, and we look forward to welcoming guests to …

IHG Hotels & Resorts has announced the signing of a Master Development Agreement (MDA) with RIVA Development Company via its wholly owned subsidiary RIVA Hospitality for Hotel Services Company to open at least 7 hotels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia across IHG’s portfolio of brands. The announcement was made at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2021 in Dubai. The 5-year agreement will add to IHG’s portfolio across key brands in the country in cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Eastern Province, Abha, Hail, Qassim and Tabuk. Most hotels under the agreement are expected to be greenfield projects and will represent the best in class products. The agreement also presents the potential to extend the partnership for another 5 years to develop an additional 12 hotels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Speaking on the announcement, Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG said, “We are excited to partner with RIVA Development Company as we strengthen our offering in Saudi Arabia. We have a strong legacy in the Kingdom and are committed to leveraging the growth opportunities that focus on aligning with Saudi’s vision 2030 and the priority destinations highlighted in the Saudi Tourism Strategy, by expanding our presence across the country through our portfolio of global brands. With a number of recent signings in Saudi Arabia, across our brands such as InterContinental, Holiday Inn, voco and Crowne Plaza, we are growing our presence with best-in-class products, experiences and services, that attract both domestic and international visitors, as well as Saudi talent as part of our support to the government’s “Tawteen” program.  We also look forward to introducing new brands from our global portfolio to the Saudi market, and …

IHG Hotels & Resorts has appointed Haitham Mattar as managing director of India, Middle East & Africa (IMEA), replacing the outgoing Pascal Gauvin who left the post at the end of 2020. Mattar will take up the position from April 18.With more than 25 years of experience, he will be responsible for driving IHG’s business in the Middle East, Africa and the South West Asia region, covering both development and operations responsibilities across a portfolio of 165 operational hotels and a pipeline of over 100 properties. Mattar joins IHG from the Saudi Ministry of Tourism where, as senior advisor and a member of the Executive Leadership Committee, he contributed to the development and implementation of Saudi’s sustainable tourism strategy to become one of the world’s top tourist destinations. Previously, he spent four years as CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, reporting to HH Sheikh Saud Bin SaqrAl Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of RasAl Khaimah. It is not the first time Mattar has worked at IHG, having previously spent 11 years at the group from 2000 to 2011 in various operations, commercial and sales and marketing positions based in the region. In his new role, he will be based in IHG’s Dubai office and will report to Kenneth Macpherson, chief executive officer, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa (EMEAA). Macpherson said, “I am very pleased to welcome Haitham back to IHG and lead our business in IMEA at such a crucial time for the travel and tourism industry. Haitham has a wealth of experience within the sector and has been at the forefront of several important strategic initiatives in the region over the last decade. …

The first ever ATM virtual began its three day sessions with 11,232 pre-scheduled appointments, 16,383 registrations from 152 countries at the close of day one. The event will be on going for the next two days with very interesting and engaging sessions conducted by experts in various fields. Starting off the day was Danielle Curtis Director Exhibition Director who shared some insights about the sessions from 1st to 3rd June 2020 which included a series of webinars, roundtables and one on one networking sessions. There are 13 webinars and live conferences for the whole duration of ATM Virtual with 10 roundtable, 5 speed networking events which translates to 600 meetings, 800 one-to-one meetings each day, 4 high level sessions with range of topics. Some of the sessions that are available for watching over the next 3 days will be the webinars by Travtalk Middle East moderated by Sanjeet – Managing Director DDP Publications. The first session will focus on Middle East: The New Asian Source Market with 3 key speakers from Asian tourism boards Beverly Au Yong – Area Director (Middle East) International Group – Singapore Tourism board, Daks Gonzales is the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), Head, for the Middle East Market and Nandini Lahe-Thapa, Senior Director at the Nepal Tourism Board is Head of the International Marketing and Promotion Dept. Their focus will be to understand 2020 and 2021 strategy to explore UAE and Middle East as a source market. When they will expect the first wave of tourism to come from the Middle East? Would the focus on Europe change for this year? How they will change their marketing strategy for the GCC market? What makes this …

Raki Phillips, an award-winning hospitality veteran, has been named as the new CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), with the authority saying that his appointment marks the commencement of a new phase of tourism development for the Emirate. Phillips, who has worked for some of the world’s most renowned global brands, including Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Universal Studios Orlando and who was named one of the ‘Top 20 Most Powerful Hoteliers,’ will be responsible for delivering the authority’s recently announced Destination Strategy 2019-2021, which aims to attract 1.5 million visitors to the Emirate by 2021 and 3 million by 2025. Phillips takes over the reins from Haitham Mattar, whose four-year tenure as CEO of RAKTDA is credited with repositioning Ras Al Khaimah to become one of the fastest growing destinations in the world and exceeding the target of one million visitors in the first three years. His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, thanked Mattar for his commitment to the role and for his efforts in positioning the Emirate as one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism destinations. RAKTDA’s first tourism strategy was launched in January 2016 and was responsible for accelerating visitor growth, increasing visitor satisfaction and raising the contribution of the tourist sector to the Emirate’s GDP. The strategy introduced new tourism demand generators, including the world’s longest zip line and the Middle East’s first via ferrata, both of which helped position Ras Al Khaimah as the region’s nature-based adventure hub. As the new CEO, Raki Phillips will supervise a number of key projects, with notable development projects on Jebel Jais including multiple zip lines, adventure park …

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has further strengthened its position in Europe with a multi-city roadshow in the UK and Germany last month that brought together more than 370 tour operators and travel agents. In a bid to attract 1.5 million visitors by 2021, increased emphasis has been put on growing further awareness in key European markets. The European roadshow covered key cities including Hamburg, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, London, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Edinburgh to meet industry representatives and introduce Ras Al Khaimah’s diverse and spectacular beach, desert, mountain, and adventure offerings.  Held at iconic venues such as the Emirates Stadium in London and Edinburgh Castle, the roadshow allowed participants an opportunity to discover Ras Al Khaimah’s unique proposition and its tourism products via presentations, networking events, and interactive quizzes. Haitham Mattar, Chief Executive officer of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said, “With a unique combination of authentic Arabian hospitality, pristine beaches and outdoor adventure pursuits, Ras Al Khaimah has a great appeal to holidaymakers from all over Europe. We have seen a significant growth in the number of visitors from Europe over the last couple of years, and therefore, our ongoing roadshow programme is a great vehicle to tell the story of the accessible Arabian hospitality. As we look towards our goal of 1.5 million visitors by 2021 and 3 million by 2025, it is essential to personally connect with travel professionals from our source markets to give them a real flavour of everything Ras Al Khaimah has to offer our visitors.”  

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) entered into an agreement with Bear Grylls Survival Academy (BGSA) to establish and operate Ras Al Khaimah’s own Bear Grylls Survival Academy on Jebel Jais, as part of its ongoing drive to attract more adventure seekers from around the world. Haitham Mattar, Chief Executive Officer of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority announced the latest addition to the Emirate’s varied portfolio of adventure tourism products recently. A brainchild of Bear Grylls, the most recognised face of survival and outdoor adventure, the Bear Grylls Survival Academy offers thrill seekers an opportunity to learn extreme survival techniques at 20 locations around the world. The Bear Grylls Survival Academy on Jebel Jais, which is scheduled to open in Q1 2020, will offer participants a wide selection of courses suitable for individuals of all ages and fitness levels. The courses include half-day (5 to 6 hours), 24 and 48-hour courses designed for families and adults; team building activities for corporates; and instructor courses for outdoor enthusiasts, where participants will be exposed to practical and extreme survival techniques necessary to survive some of the toughest terrain in the wilderness. The courses will comprise of a combination of survival and adventure tasks that will conclude in a wilderness expedition designed to put the participants’ new-found skills to the ultimate test. Haitham Mattar, Chief Executive Officer of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said, “This partnership to establish our upcoming adventure product recognises a sector of our tourism proposition that is fundamental to the growth of Ras Al Khaimah as a global destination.” Paul Gardiner, Managing Director of Bear Grylls Survival Academy, said, “As the UAE’s highest mountain with its …

Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) inaugurated the first edition of the Belgian Travel Summit (BTS) taking place until June 1 in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. The four-day summit is the first joint Congress of the Belgian trade unions of travel agencies at a national Belgium level and witnessed the attendance of the Association of Flemish Travel Agencies (VVR) and the French speaking Union Professionnelle des Agences de Voyages (UPAV). The summit is hosting a series of plenary sessions led by industry experts and visionaries focused on four key themes: Sustainability, Education, Digitalisation, and Business Development. Key speakers include Haitham Mattar, Chief Executive Officer of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority; Murielle Machiels, Academic Director at Solvay Brussels School; Thierry Geerts, Country Director of Google Belgium and Luxembourg; and Pieter Van Leugenhagen, co-founder of a successful Belgian start-up and International Business Development Lead at Yondr. As part of his keynote speech, Mattar said, “We are delighted to host the first edition of the Belgian Travel Summit as we get to showcase Ras Al Khaimah’s mesmerising coastline, scenic mountains, terracotta deserts, historic forts, and some of the most diverse and enchanting landscapes in the region to key members of the Belgian travel trade industry. Our incredible experiences such as Jebel Jais Flight: The World’s Longest Zipline have already helped put Ras Al Khaimah on the world map. As we look towards our goal of 1.5 million visitors by 2021 and 3 million by 2025, it is essential to personally connect with travel professionals from our source markets to further develop our partnerships with generalist and specialised tour operators and to give travel advisors at travel agencies a real …