Tag Archives: MEA

Abu Dhabi Airports has welcomed Lebanese travellers arriving at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) with special gifts upon their disembarkation from Middle East Airlines (MEA) flight ME418. The arriving travellers were greeted by AUH’s Wellness Ambassadors, in celebration of the arrival of the first MEA flight since March 2020. In line with the gradual resumption of commercial flights at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Middle East Airlines has resumed its flights between Beirut, Lebanon and the UAE capital. Abu Dhabi International Airport has implemented a range of health and safety measures including a team of specially trained Wellness Ambassadors to support passengers by answering common questions relating to keeping healthy during travel, encouraging social distancing, monitoring the regular sanitisation of surfaces, communicating testing and isolation procedures, and providing hand sanitiser and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves to passengers. Abu Dhabi International Airport has also introduced touch-less elevator technology as well as Sterix Gatesterilisation booths designed to safely disinfect a person within as little as three seconds. Other new technologies and precautionary measures deployed at the airport include thermal scanning cameras that incorporate the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and cameras with facial recognition capabilities and heat motion sensors.

As restrictions continue to ease across the region, and businesses are beginning to return to maximum capacity, things are looking up for travel intent to the Middle East and Africa (MEA), as per a study by Sojern. Travel searches to key markets within the region are gradually increasing. This is particularly noticeable in Dubai where shopping malls and private businesses are now allowed to operate at 100% capacity. Just two weeks ago, flight searches to Dubai were down 85% year-over-year, but now stand at only 40% below the same time last year, showing the positive impact that the ease of restrictions is having on travellers dreaming of returning to the city and region as a whole. Staycations and daycations continue to offer hotels across the region a chance to begin their path to recovery – especially those that can offer facilities such as swimming pools or beach access. This is highlighted by the rate of recovery of luxury hotels, which are more likely to offer the facilities that domestic travellers are seeking. ‘Workations’ are another opportunity to welcome guests back to hotels, with an increasing number of hotels offering pop-up co-working spaces for those who no longer have an office or a suitable home-working area. These short-term solutions are likely assisting in the steady growth of domestic hotel bookings across MEA. UAE hotel searches over the last few weeks are displaying a more noticeable downturn. This could be related to the high number of searches that occurred prior to Eid for locals looking for somewhere to celebrate the festive period. This peak in searches may have made the more recent drop appear more exaggerated than that experienced with bookings.

Millennium Hotels & Resorts has introduced the maiden Studio M Arabian Plaza in the Middle East region under the ‘M collection’ portfolio. The three-star property comprises 323 hotel rooms and serviced apartments and features two food and beverage outlets, meeting room spaces, a lap pool and fitness centre. The opening launch marked Millennium Hotels & Resorts MEA’s brand growth by expanding into the mid-market segment. Furthermore, Studio M Arabian Plaza is also the first venture of Hala Hospitality Group, a part of the Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group, into the hospitality industry. Kevork Deldelian, Chief Operating Officer, Millenium Hotels & resorts MEA, said, “The recently concluded launch of Studio M Arabian Plaza is Millennium Hotels & Resorts MEA’s strategic step in addressing Dubai’s growing demand for midscale properties.” He added, “The hotel’s features also capture the interests of the growing market of the millennial generation looking for quality-driven, trendy and technologically-advanced hotels.” Commenting on the launch, Abdullah Mohammed Juma Al Naboodah, Chairman, Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group, said, “As our first venture into the hospitality market, we are extremely proud of Studio M Arabian Plaza, and the exceptional design and functionality of the property. We look forward to it becoming the go-to place for sophisticated and discerning travellers looking for a stylish, comfortable and practical place to stay in the city.”

Marriott International is offering event planners and meeting organisers new benefits for bookings at participating hotels across Middle East and Africa (MEA) as part of its ‘Rewarding Events Made Here’ promotion. Meeting planners can now choose from a plethora of unique experiences and earning opportunities across the group’s portfolio of distinct brands. It is now possible to book a meeting, event or group stay at a participating Marriott International property in the region and take advantage of a range of fantastic benefits including 5 per cent saving on the master bill, Double Marriott Rewards points, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards points or SPG Starpoints and earning a signing bonus of 3,000 Marriott Rewards, SPG Starpoints or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Points for every 10 room nights booked. Providing event organisers and travel planners the opportunity to make stays even more special, the ‘Rewarding Events Made Here’ promotion is available for meetings, events or group stays with 10 rooms per night or more. Bookings must be made before June 30, 2019 for stays at participating hotels from now until January 31, 2020. Offer is available at all participating brands in the region with the exception of Marriott Executive Apartments, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, Element, Residence Inn and Design Hotels. Neal Jones, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, MEA, Marriott International, commented, “We are witnessing a rapid change in the way businesses and individuals plan events and to meet the increasing demands within this growing segment, it is vital that we create packages that not only offer great value, but also rewards on bookings. Whether it is a meeting, a conference, group or an event, we are committed to creating exceptional experiences through personalised services, innovative …

Leading payment solutions provider in the Middle East, Network International (MEA) has strengthened its product proposition to the hospitality sector following a partnership with 3C Payment, a global provider of payment solutions. Network International is the largest merchant acquirer in the UAE and the first in the region to offer hospitality merchants access to an integrated F&B solution on the 3C Integra terminal range. The company’s solution is geared to meet the specific needs of table service restaurant outlets, enabling them to recall a list of open bills by table or waiter ID. To help with large group billing, waiting staff can recall and print itemised table bills from the POS device in addition to offering split bill payments via cash or card payment, without affecting the till functionality or tip handling. Paul Clarke, Head of Product & Innovation, Network International, commented: “One of the strongest and most vibrant sectors in the UAE’s domestic market, the food and beverage industry is rapidly adapting to the digital age in which customers expect faster and seamless ways to pay. Our new solution enables customers at F&B outlets to pay faster than ever before and make it more convenient to split bills, leave tips and simply enjoy their dining experience.” Network International’s holistic solution incorporates PCI 3.x Worldline devices and 3C Payment’s Integra Pay@Table terminal solution, integrated with Oracle Hospitality Simphony, the premiere cloud and mobile hospitality management platform to create a flexible integrated payments solution with specialist functionality and reporting across multiple channels. The terminal solution is PCI (payment card industry) Point-to-Point-Encryption (P2PE) validated, providing a secure and effective solution to protect cardholder data. The solution’s universal payment gateway is able to …