Tag Archives: The first group

The First Group Hospitality, one of the region’s fastest-growing hotel management firms, has announced its partnership with BB Holding to operate the upcoming Radisson RED Marjan Island—the first franchised Radisson RED in the UAE, scheduled to open in 2027. This partnership marks a major milestone for both companies: The First Group’s debut in Ras Al Khaimah and BB Holding’s first hotel development in the UAE, reinforcing investor confidence in the emirate’s rapidly expanding hospitality sector. Situated on the vibrant Marjan Island, the AED 215 million lifestyle property will feature 261 modern guestrooms and suites, along with four dynamic F&B outlets—an all-day dining restaurant, rooftop specialty venue, lobby café, and poolside bar. Guests will also enjoy a range of premium amenities, including a private beach, outdoor pool, spa, fitness centre, indoor and outdoor play areas for children, and flexible meeting and event spaces. Commenting on the partnership, Rob Burns, Chief Executive Officer of The First Group, stated: “We are proud to expand our hotel operations into Al Marjan Island, one of the Gulf’s most exciting lifestyle destinations. Radisson RED Marjan Island represents a new chapter for The First Group, combining our operational expertise with Ras Al Khaimah’s fast-evolving hospitality landscape. This resort will enhance our growing portfolio while bringing an energetic, design-driven experience to one of the UAE’s most promising markets.” Michael Bagdasarov, Managing Director at BB Holding, commented: “A key factor in selecting The First Group Hospitality was their comprehensive package of centralized services, which was especially important for us as a new entrant to the UAE market. These services create the benefits of a large hotel cluster, reducing overheads across finance, HR, IT, and engineering, and improving overall profitability. …

The First Group Hospitality, together with guest experience and operations platform Inntelo AI, announced a partnership with the goal of enhancing guest experiences across its growing hotel portfolio. Following a successful implementation at TRYP by Wyndham Dubai, The First Group Hospitality will integrate the Inntelo AI system across all properties, including the highly anticipated Ciel Dubai Marina – Vignette Collection by IHG, soon to be the world’s tallest hotel. Through Inntelo, guests will enjoy an intuitive, AI-native concierge experience that connects requests, service delivery, and personalisation across every stage of their stay. Directly from their phones, guests can request additional amenities, order room service, make restaurant reservations, and even book local excursions – all powered by cutting-edge conversational and agentic AI. Guests can also access services through phone calls, voice commands or WhatsApp messaging in over 40 different languages. The partnership with Inntelo reflects The First Group Hospitality’s broader strategy of embedding artificial intelligence across its operations. The third-party hotel operator already leverages AI to support various areas of its business, including revenue forecasting, rate optimisation, restaurant reservations, customer satisfaction monitoring, and team scheduling. This collaboration extends The First Group’s innovation roadmap, connecting guest-facing AI with real-time operational intelligence and data-driven decision-making. “The First Group has always been at the forefront of innovation, carefully evaluating and implementing the latest solutions; having worked with Inntelo AI over recent months, we are incredibly excited and ambitious about how this cutting-edge AI technology sets us apart in the hotel management field,” said Tom Stevens, Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations, The First Group Hospitality. “This partnership with Inntelo AI will ensure every guest interaction, from arrival to departure, is powered by intelligence, efficiency, and …