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May 10 - The predictions for the hotel industry in the Middle East are said to be pretty good, said Bradley Holliday, Senior Manager for the Tourism Hospitality and Leisure Industry Group at Deloitte Middle East. Speaking at the Arabian Travel Market last week, he said that "the forecast for the coming year is good," he added. "Airline arrivals in the region are showing positive growth of around 15 per cent,…
May 10 - Hotels across the UAE are spending a lot of money to upgrade their security surveillance systems in the aftermath of the assassination of the Hamas leader in Dubai this year, said an expert. "Working with the co-operation of the police, hotels in Dubai in particular are spending a lot on major upgrades of already extensive security systems, in some cases almost doubling the number of cameras," said Ray…
May 9 - Hospitality Management Holdings (HMH), based in Dubai, announced it is expanding in the Levant and Qatar. HMH first entered Lebanon with its Coral Hotels and Resorts brand in Beirut and announced it will also open two hotels in Qatar. “Beirut is booming and so is the hospitality industry in the city. We believe there is an enormous potential for our brand in Lebanon, which is emerging as a leading…
May 9 - Movenpick Hotels and Resorts will open four hotels in Dubai over the next 10 months, adding over 1,200 rooms to Dubai’s market. The first property, the five star Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel, is scheduled to open in September. The hotel is part of the huge Salmon Pink Development near the Ibn Battuta mall.
May 9 - Kuwaiti hotel group Safir Hotels and Resorts has announced that it will triple the number of its properties by 2015. "Even in the midst of global economic uncertainty our expansion will fare exceptionally well thanks to our resilience proven in surviving the Kuwaiti invasion. We know how to operate in challenging environments without downgrading our service," Helmut Meckelburg, chief executive of Safir…
May 8 - The number of hotel rooms in Sharjah is expected to grow 75 percent said Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, speaking at the Arabian Travel Market in the UAE. Al Qassimi, who is chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) said the increase in room numbers is expected based on the expected rise in hotel facilities over the next four years, and also because of on-going growth…
May 8 - Hotel operators in the Gulf region have obtained a first-mover advantage over international competitors by opening hotels in Baghdad, Karbala, and Erbil. Gulf investors have shown a growing interest in Iraq, with the number of projects by regional company’s year-on-year up 87 percent in 2009. Projects worth about $230 billion (Dh 844 billion) are currently in progress in Iraq, 35 percent of which are…
May 8 - Emirate’s Hospitality, a unit of Dubai’s Emaar Properties, plans to take its brand global, beginning with management of two hotels in France and Morocco. The hospitality group is also in talks to operate more hotels under The Address brand as luxury hotel sales recover. Marc Dardenne, chief executive of Emaar Hospitality said the brand has had a good performance at home and the next step is to grow it…
May 8 - Participating hotels in the six week Summer in Abu Dhabi festival will provide discounts of up to 50 percent, and there will be a variety of other promotional offers to attract 200,000 visitors to the capital. The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) is organizing the festival which takes place from June 4th until August 5th. The ADTA has partnered with 40 hotels for the festival and is awarding special…
May 7 - India’s Oberoi Hotels and Resorts is planning to open three hotels in the UAE by 2013, with the first, a 220 room property, to open in Business Bay in 2011. Two additional hotels will open and be operational by 2013. “Our first hotel in the UAE will be the business hotel in Dubai, which should open in one and a half years” said Liam Lambert, President of Oberoi Hotels and Resorts. He said after that two…
May 7 - A luxury beach club is being designed for Saadiyat Island to attract high spending residents in Abu Dhabi to the capital’s multibillion dirham flagship tourism development. Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) is building the island development which will be home to the Guggenheim and Louvre museums. The luxury beach club will have a spa, two swimming pools, tennis courts, a…
May 7 - The Resort was presented with the “Best 5 Star hotel in 2009” at a recent ceremony organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). The Radisson Blu Resort, Sharah proudly announces it’s status as Best Hotel in Sharjah as granted by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority. The Sharjah Tourism Excellence Award ceremony took place at the Sharjah Equestrian Club…
May 6- The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has stated that hotels and serviced apartments will be under a new classification system by the end of this year. The existing star-rating system is to be revised because some ultra-luxurious properties deserve higher than the traditional five stars. DTCM said the scale will still be from one to five, but new categories will be added to…
May 6 - Hyatt plans to open 2 new luxury hotels in the UAE capital this year announced Thierry Bertin, VP of Sales and Marketing at the Arabian Travel Market yesterday. Hyatt at Capital Centre Abu Dhabi will be opened later this year, while Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi will open in early 2011. Park Hyatt will be located in the northern part of Saadiyat Island, surrounded by the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. It will…
May 6 - French hotelier, Accor Hospitality plans to expand their portfolio in Saudi Arabia and Syria. They expect to build around 22 more hotels in the next two to three years and they see massive potential in Saudi Arabia for the budget brands.
May 5 - The Rotana Group has won nine awards in the 17th Annual World Travel Awards held this year, an event that aims to promote excellence in the tourism industry. The group has been given for the fourth consecutive year, the title of Middle East's Leading Hotel brand. The individual properties' awards included Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi, Middle East Leading Corporate Resort, Arjaan by Rotana Dubai, Middle East…
Hotels in Dubai have reported a 3.3 per cent increase in the first quarter of 2010, said an official of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) on Tuesday. Revenues for the first quarter were Dh3.77 billion as against Dh3.64 billion in the first quarter last year. "We are optimistic about 2010 but I would not like to make futuristic projections," Saleh Al Geziry, Director Overseas Promotions and…
May 5 - Starwood Hotels and Resorts said that it will open all nine of its brands in the Middle East by 2013 which include St Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft, and Element. "Starwood is established as the sector leader in the Middle East. We currently have a footprint of 50 hotels across the region and a pipeline of 20 more due to open in the next five…
