Tag Archives: hospitality

Marriott International announced that its unique hospitality training program, Tahseen, celebrated its first graduating class in Egypt. Developed in partnership with Helwan University and Professional Development Foundation, the company created the unique programme for Egypt in 2018 to support its commitment to further enhance tourism education in the country. The inaugural graduating class featured 80 students who completed the first of its kind Bachelors of Hotel Operations Management Degree. The celebration took place at The St. Regis Cairo with all 80 students accompanied by their families. The milestone event was hosted by Satya Anand, President, Europe Middle East & Africa, Marriott International and was attended by Professor Dr. Hosam Refai, Acting President, Helwan University and Mohammed Farouk Hafeez, Chairman, Professional Development Foundation, along with other senior officials from the organizations. Satya Anand, President, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International said, “We are excited to celebrate the first group of graduates as part of our Tahseen programme in Egypt.  Tahseen is focused on providing young people with the skills and experience to grow and thrive in the hospitality business and to be part of the success of Egypt’s travel and tourism sector. As a company, we remain committed to enhancing tourism education in Egypt and developing the next wave of exciting and impactful local hospitality leaders in the country.” Tahseen was launched in 2018 in partnership with Helwan University and Professional Development Foundation to focus on fast-tracking the next generation of hospitality leaders by providing them with firsthand experience of the industry and a springboard to launch successful careers in hospitality. In 2019, the programme received the Ministry of Higher Education’s approval in Egypt and earned bachelor’s degree accreditation. Today, …

Nadia Ibrahim, Associate Director of Consultancy & Sustainability at leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek, has revealed how all hotels throughout the region can create a bespoke roadmap to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050. During her webinar presentation in conjunction with the Swiss Business Council, which was attended by key hospitality figures from across the region, Ibrahim highlighted the fact that some international hospitality brands may already have strategies in place to achieve their Net Zero ambitions. However, many independent hotels, particularly three and four-star properties would require external support from consultants to design, plan and execute a carbon neutral roadmap. “Major international hotel brands such as Accor, Hilton and Marriott have the necessary resources to achieve their sustainability goals, but many privately-owned independent hotels will not have the means to access dedicated internal support. “There is also general confusion about what Net Zero means and the process and actions required to make a corporate commitment and how a hotel’s carbon footprint can be measured and reduced without affecting the operation or guest experience,” said Ibrahim. It is widely reported that tourism and specifically hotels account for 8% and 1% respectively of total global carbon emissions. But implementing a carbon reduction plan is not an easy task, with multiple internal and external challenges. The most common of which are carbon footprint assessments across the hotel and its value chain, a lack of financial resources with little or no budget allocated for climate related activities, the higher costs associated with sustainable products and insufficient regulatory incentives to support a hotel’s Net Zero transition. Ibrahim, who was elected to the board of the official Local Network of …

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), concluded its participation in the fourth edition of the Tourist Hospitality Initiative held in southwest region of Aseer. SAUDIA celebrated guests on flight SV1644, inbound from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, with a welcoming event and giveaways. Held under the theme of “1,000 Welcomes,” a phrase traditionally used as a greeting for visitors in the Saudi region of Aseer, and with direct support from the Governer of the region, the initiative is aimed at continuing to welcome a diverse range of visitors to the region. In recognition of the tourism campaign, the SAUDIA sales offices and the arrivals terminal at Abha International Airport were decorated with the initiative’s vibrant designs, highlighting SAUDIA’s role in connecting the capital of Aseer with the rest of the Kingdom. In addition to its scenic nature and charming ambiance, Abha contains a variety of ways to keep tourists interested. SAUDIA’s participation in the initiative is a continuation of the national carrier’s involvement last year and comes as part of its efforts to promote domestic tourism. The flag-carrying airline’s operations out of Abha are continuously being enhanced and scaled, with more seating capacity being made available as required by seasonal demand.

Hudini, and Incode Technologies announced their strategic partnership to transform hospitality guest experiences. The partnership with Incode will enable Hudini cus-tomers to deploy identity verification during the check-in and check-out processes through enhanced digital bio-metric technology. This association will automate these processes making it quick, seamless and at the conven-ience of the guest. The hospitality industry relies on its ability to connect people and the places they visit to create memora-ble 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 76% of hotel executives are looking to introduce “a fully contactless experience” by 2025. Prince Thampi, Founder and CEO at Hudini said: “Hotel guests crave seamless experiences when they travel. Long check-in processes and complex payment procedures can ruin a guest’s stay. As a leader in biometric identity verification, Incode’s solution removes these challenges and helps to maximise the dig-ital guest experience, without compromising on security or privacy. Through our partnership with Incode, we are excited to offer fully automated identity verification to our check-in and check-out features across our partner hotels.” Both organizations have realized the potential identity verification holds across the hospitality industry and share the ambition for its widespread adoption during hotel check-in and check-out. To further that vision, the partnership will include the following experiences: Transparent guest identification: In a matter of seconds, even before arrival, the industry’s only fully automated identity verification engine validates the identity of a guest. This allows guests to identify themselves at their convenience, triggering Hudini’s systems to …

The UAE welcomes a new experience-driven, hospitality group to the market, Limestone Lab, a company with a vision of introducing new and innovative hospitality concepts to the UAE social and dining scene. With the notion of “re-imagining” hospitality experiences, Limestone Lab is set to roll out a lineup of unique concepts to the market between Q4 of 2021 and Q4 of 2023, with a disruptive approach to the traditional brick-and-mortar models. The company’s solid pipeline of bespoke F&B venues will be nothing short of innovative and cultural, boasting of interactive experiences, socially-elevated ambiances, which will be paired with culturally-infused cuisines and themes. Limestone Lab will also bring together a team of prominent designers, architects, hospitality experts to create thoughtfully designed properties located in unexpected destinations. All the venues will be unified by a common goal: to create spaces and experiences that hold lasting memories. Founded by Dubai-based serial entrepreneurs, Hassan Ballout and Hani Doueik, the formation of the company was an inherent process sparked by the passion of these two businessmen, accompanied by their extensive hospitality expertise, to bring truly inspirational F&B and nightlife concepts to the UAE. Ballout, CEO of Limestone Lab, is most known for his recent position as Chief Growth Officer for Seven Management, where he launched and managed Seven Sisters and Antika Bar in Dubai. Ballout has in addition co-created and rolled out 12 virtual restaurant brands in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait & Saudi Arabia, including Tawook Nation, Luca, Japang and Vigilante, to name a few. Alongside Ballout, Hani Doueik will also serve as the Co-Founder and COO of Limestone Lab. Doueik prides over a decade of experience in consulting multiple international brands within creative advertising …

Emirates Flight Catering has been selected to lead the hospitality and operations for the New Zealand pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai which will take place from October 2020 to April 2021 with participation from 190 countries. The New Zealand pavilion restaurant will be central to the country’s participation at Expo 2020. International visitors will experience premium New Zealand food and beverage products, prepared by Emirates Flight Catering’s skilled chefs. Saeed Mohammed, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Flight Catering, said, “New Zealand is a high-profile destination and its innovative approach to hospitality will allow us to showcase our expertise in food, beverage and hospitality, and to provide a world-class experience to anyone who visits the pavilion. The opportunity to work alongside New Zealand and its visitors to Expo 2020, a milestone event for the United Arab Emirates, is something we’re incredibly proud of.” Members of Emirates Flight Catering’s experienced culinary team, made up of 1800 chefs from 52 countries, will visit New Zealand early next year to source food and beverage products from experienced exporters for the pavilion restaurant. Clayton Kimpton, New Zealand’s Commissioner-General to Expo 2020, said, “New Zealand’s manaakitanga or warm hospitality is part of what makes us special. We’re excited to partner with Emirates Flight Catering to share our pavilion experience and New Zealand’s food and beverage with the world at Expo 2020 Dubai.” The agreement with New Zealand at Expo 2020 is further evidence of Emirates Flight Catering’s expertise and expansion outside of its core flight catering business. The company recently commenced construction of its vertical farming facility in Dubai. It’s also expanding further into retail and consumer sectors, combining its culinary and production expertise to produce premium …

Millenium Hotels has signed an agreement with Hotelbeds Group that grants all of the Hotelbeds Group brands (Hotelbeds, Bedsonline, Tourico Holidays and GTA) with direct real-time access to over 1.4 million of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ annual room nights in more than 60 global business and leisure travel destinations. The pact will strengthen Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ distribution through Hotelbeds’ presence in more than 140 markets, spanning a wide range of channels including airlines, MiCE operators, point redemption schemes, retail travel agencies and tour operators representing over 60,000 travel distributors. Mark Redmond, Head – Global Chains, Hotelbeds Group, commented: “We are delighted to be connecting to Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ global hospitality offering. This will be a strong relationship in delivering special rates and availability across the MHR portfolio to our clients, while giving MHR access to higher-margin, niche segments of the travel market.” Also, Nayan Peshkar, Senior Vice President, Digital, Distribution and Revenue Strategy, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, said, “We are pleased to be working with Hotelbeds. This supports the Group’s wider distribution strategy of reducing reliance on static rate and room agreements in the leisure segment.”

Ghaya Grand Hotel has won the Arabian Travel Awards 2018 for the Luxury Serviced Apartment Hotels category at a glittering ceremony held at the JW Marriott Hotel, Deira on September 20, 2018. The award was received by Ossama Kachkouche, Director of Sales and Marketing. “We are extremely honoured to be recognised at the recent Arabian Travel Awards. It was a special feeling when all of our hardwork was acknowledged, it’s a seal of approval that we are on a right track and we should continue to maintain and improve our hospitality services.” Kachkouche said. Arabian Travel Awards is a platform for the Middle East to recognise people behind the success of the travel & hospitality industry to make them believe they are achievers. Planned as an exclusive one-of-its-kind event, this award ceremony is held annually. With many people putting their trust in the travel & hospitality industry, Arabian Travel Awards aims to host a world-class recognition for the best in the industry. Based on a unique system of jury, judgment and voting, these awards are fair and unbiased.

Golden Sands Hotel Apartments was declared the Best Family Hotel Apartments at the 2nd annual Arabian Travel Awards. Mirna Tenidis, Director of Marketing of Golden Sands Hotel Apartments, received the award. Last year, the Golden Sands Hotel Apartments was recognised as the Best Brand Hotel Apartment. Mohammed Khoori, General Manager, Golden Sands Hotel Apartments, said, “The Arabian Travel Awards is one of the much-awaited awards in the industry. We are grateful to be recognised as this year’s recipient of the Best Family Hotel Apartments. This is a meaningful award because it reflects who we truly are. Our facilities cater to big and small families and our location is convenient for both young and adult guests. I want to share this award with the team who are relentlessly providing the best service to our valued guests.” Organised by Durga Das Publications, the 2nd Arabian Travel Awards recognised and honoured the best in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries in the Middle East. This year, more than 50,000 votes were submitted from over 25 countries, with nearly 60 awards to recognise at the exclusive event attended by VIPs, dignitaries, travel, tourism and hospitality professionals. During the awards ceremony, a beautifully designed Collector’s Edition Book was also unveiled that showcases the beauty and culture of the Middle East.

Travelport has been recognised as the Best Technology Partner to the travel and hospitality industry in the Middle East for the second consecutive year at Arabian Travel Awards 2018. The company also scooped the Best Travel Technology Provider award, a category formerly called Best Global Distribution System, which Travelport also won in 2017. The ceremony took place recently at JW Marriott Hotel in Deira, Dubai. Arabian Travel Awards is an annual event designed to support, promote and develop the Middle East travel and hospitality industry by identifying and rewarding excellence, and inspiring its practitioners to continuously raise the standards of their product and service offering. Winners are selected based on a unique system of jury, judgement and online voting by industry professionals. In other categories, Cozmo Travel won Fastest Growing Travel Management Company and Al Naboodah Travel won the Best General Sales Agent (GSA) award. Matthew Powell, Managing Director, Travelport, Africa, Middle East and South Asia, said, “We are proud of the work we have done over the last 12 months. Our travel commerce platform is faster, our merchandising and analytics solutions are more powerful, and our mobile applications like Trip Assist, are even more dynamic and in tune with the needs of today’s hyper-connected travellers. We are delighted this work has been recognised by the industry. We will continue to work tirelessly to lead the change we want to see for the benefit of our customers and travellers.”