Tag Archives: hotels

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 …

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts inked an agreement with Oman’s Golden Group of Companies to manage the 370-key Mövenpick Hotel Muscat Airport, part of a new upscale project under development near Muscat International Airport, set to open in 2021. The project will also feature retail and commercial space. It expands Mövenpick’s inventory pipeline to almost 1,000 keys countrywide after deals to operate Mövenpick Hotel & Apartments Al Azaiba Muscat and Mövenpick Hotel Bausher Muscat were recently signed. The three properties will capitalise on Oman’s growing importance as a regional hub for business and leisure tourism, spurred by the development of new infrastructure which ranges from conference centres to cruise terminals. At the same time, Muscat International Airport is undergoing extensive renovations and expansion that will boost its annual capacity from 12 million to 48 million passengers.

Hotels and desert camps in Dubai have just one more month to enter the 2017 Dubai Sustainable Tourism Awards. Part of the Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) initiative, the awards will recognise hotels and individuals who are adopting tangible measures to contribute to enhanced sustainability within the Emirate’s tourism sector. Establishments can enter the awards via the Dubai Sustainable Tourism website; nominations will close on September 14 and winners will be announced at a ceremony in mid-November. Inaugurated this year, the Dubai Sustainable Tourism Awards feature 20 categories; 13 main awards targeted towards different types of hospitality establishment, and seven special awards that recognise individuals who are true champions of sustainability. Winners of the seven special awards will be leaders and teams who truly embody the sustainability principles of DST, and who have inspired remarkable changes within their organisations. The awards criteria have been designed to meet the challenges outlined in Dubai’s Carbon Abatement Strategy; issued by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, this commits to reducing carbon emissions by 16 per cent by 2021. The awards also support the UAE’s Green Growth Strategy that aims to build an economic system that has sustainability at its core. These initiatives in turn, are in line with Dubai Plan 2021 and Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030. The deadline for hotels to enter the Dubai Sustainable Tourism Awards is September 14. This will be followed by an evaluation process and approval by the final DST committee to select the winners. Adjudication of the awards will cover both strategic and operational initiatives, which will be benchmarked against standards set by highly qualified subject matter experts representing various entities. This process will be supervised by a …

There are 541 new hotels in the pipeline across the Middle East – bringing an additional 158,950 hotel rooms to the region, an industry report has revealed. The Middle East Hotel Construction Overview report prepared by TOPHOTELPROJECTS exclusively for The Hotel Show Dubai 2016 forecasts that the majority of new hotel rooms will open before 2020. The UAE (180 projects) and Saudi Arabia (134 projects) remain the most active hotel construction hotspots in the region. The busiest year for hotel openings leading up to 2020 is forecast to be 2017 with 189 projects and 58,527 rooms. Notable hotel openings scheduled for 2017 include: the world’s largest hotel in Makkah, Saudi Arabia with 10,000 rooms, and the world’s first Paramount Hotels & Resorts property; the Paramount Hotel in Dubai.

Doha has 41 projects and 11,722 rooms in its hotel construction pipeline, according to a new report. The Doha Hotel Construction Overview report by TOPHOTELPROJECTS prepared exclusively for The Hotel Show Dubai 2016, reveals that Doha is the 3rd busiest city in the Middle East and Africa for hotel construction, behind only Dubai (133 projects) and Riyadh (47 projects). Doha’s busiest year for hotel openings is forecast to be 2017 with 14 new properties entering the market, including: Pullman Doha West Bay (468 rooms), JW Marriott West Bay (297 rooms), Hilton Garden Inn Doha Al Sadd (225 rooms), and Millennium Plaza Doha (232 rooms). The five-star Millennium Plaza Doha will open as part of the new Barwa Al Sadd development located in the heart of Doha. Comprised of four high rise towers offering commercial, residential and office space, the major project, currently under construction, will also offer a range of restaurants, shops and recreational facilities. Kassab added: “Barwa Al Sadd is set to be an exciting new addition to the city for both visitors and residents. Millennium Plaza Doha will be the only hotel within the development, offering an ideal base for business and leisure trips as well as for residents looking for a central location for business meetings, dining or celebrations.” TOPHOTELPROJECTS will present on development hotspots in the Middle East and Africa including Doha at the 4th edition of The Hotel Show Dubai’s annual Vision Conference, part of the “Update on market and consumer patterns and trends: get the inside track” panel discussion on 18th September 2016, 11:00-11:50am.