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April 15- Hotels in the Middle East are getting more and more comfortable with the idea of using social networking sites to promote their business. Previously, hotels in the region were reluctant to jump on the social networking bandwagon. "Social networking sites are still in their relative infancy and we don't know how they are going to grow up. What we do know is that social networking is generating a large…
April 15- Budget hotel Premiere Inn began construction of its first hotel in Abu Dhabi. The Dh120 million development should be finished by September 2011. The 242 room hotel, located within the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Center, will be Premiere’s fourth property in the UAE.
April 15- The Diala Investment Commission (DIC) has signed a contract to build what will be one of the biggest tourist resorts in Iraq. The DIC chairman said “The contract was signed with an Iraqi investor, who lives in the United Arab Emirates, to establish a tourist resort in the region between Hamrien Mountains in Khanaqin and al-Azeem district in Khales.” Raseem Ismail said 25 companies will carry out the…
April 14- The Oetker Hotel Collection (OHC), part of a German conglomerate, is holding talks with investors in the Middle East for constructing hotel projects in the region. The group, which announced its first project in Abu Dhabi in February this year, is negotiating with at least three investors or owners for management contracts, with Dubai, Beirut, Bahrain and Doha. "We have plans to set up about 15 hotels…
April 14- The Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL), in a ceremony on Monday, announced facilitating the Summerland Hotel project manager Walid Abu Saab with a contract that allows full tax exemption on income and distribution of dividend for 10 years. The package includes exemptions from real-estate registrations and reducing work permit fees for Summerland Hotel staff. The project, to be built at…
April 13- The renowned Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts announced today that it has terminated its management contract, effective immediately, for the Banyan Tree Al Areen Resort in Bahrain. On April 8, Banyan Tree issued a notice of intention to terminate its contract with Al Areen Holding Company, the owner of the resort in Bahrain, given the various breaches that occurred in the contract. It must be mentioned…
April 13- Emaar Properties is hoping to revive its hospitality sector plans for the Indian market where it already has a presence through a joint venture company, Emaar MGF, it was learnt through reports published in Indian newspapers. In this regard, Shravan Gupta, Vice-Chairman, Emaar MGF, pointed out that the group‘s hospitality plans for the Indian market were temporarily shelved but “now, with the market…
April 13- Mubadala Development Company and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts have announced the forming of a partnership to develop the Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Sowwah Island, a luxury business hotel slated to open in 2013. The hotel will be adjacent to Sowwah Square and will be a tribute to Abu Dhabi‘s unique culture and heritage. With around 200 rooms and 125 residences, the hotel will have conference…
April 9 -French luxury goods giant Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LMVH) has announced that it is entering the business of managing upscale hotels and already has plans to make its presence felt with two exclusive hotels in Egypt and Oman. Louis Vuitton will take into account the experience of Group Arnault, LVMH Chairman and Chief Executive Bernard Arnault's holding company, which entered the hospitality market…
April 9 -Hilton Worldwide has signed an agreement with Safir El Zamalek Hotel Company for a new branded hotel on the Nile, said a press statement on Thursday. Titled the Hilton Zamalek Residence Cairo, the hotel will open in July with 88 rooms and 76 suites. The agreement was signed by Mishal Abdallah Almasad, Chairman of Safir El Zamalek Hotel Company SAE, and Mahmoud Mokhtar, Vice President Operations for…
April 8- Hilton Worldwide signed an agreement with Safir El Zamalek Hotel Company for a new Hilton branded hotel on the Nile, according to a press statement. Mahmoud Mokhtar, vice president of operations for Hilton Worldwide in Egypt, and Mishal Abdallah Almasad, chairman of Safir El Zamalek Hotel Company SAE signed the Management Agreement. The new hotel, named Hilton Zamalek Residence Cairo is scheduled to…
April 8- The Ritz-Carlton hotel group said yesterday that Saudi Arabia will be its key source market in 2010 and beyond, and it is going to expand its presence there. Beginning this year the hotel group will increase efforts to engage travel agents and other major corporations. The company said in a statement that Saudi Arabia is its biggest GCC market. Ritz-Carlton has hotels in Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, and…
April 7- Construction of Emirates Park Palace is on schedule the company said in a statement. The Dh 1.8 billion twin tower hotel and apartment has 1,612 rooms. Emirates Airline and Group will hand over the South Tower to Marriot in May.
April 7 -Social media networking sites are providing means of revenue generation for hotels and resorts across the Middle East, said industry analysts. "While social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are becoming huge, however, it is proving a major struggle for hotel companies to figure out how to profit from them," said Ray Tinston, Sales Director, The Hotel Show, a trade event for the tourism and…
April 7- Abu Dhabi-based , has announced that it will be expanding to Saudi Arabia, mainly Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar and Makkah, said a press release on Tuesday. The announcement is in line with Cristal’s Middle East expansion plan. "Saudi Arabia is home to two of Islam's holiest cities and several historic sites and is also either a base or a stopover for numerous multinational corporations. These have combined…
April 7- While the hotel industry seems to be recovering slowly across Middle East, further declines are expected in Dubai and Abu Dhabi markets’ RevPAR this year, said Paul Arnold, Principal and Head of Transaction Real Estate Advisory Services Group, Ernst & Young. "Those markets which were able to maintain their rate integrity in 2009 and have limited supply entering the market in 2010 will be the fastest to…
April 6- Abu Dhabi based developer Eon Resorts, have formed a partnership to develop an exclusive ultra luxury resort on the Maldives it was announced on Tuesday. Viceroy Maldives is currently under construction on the crescent shaped island of Vagaru in the Shaviyani Atoll, about one hour north of the capital Malé. The 61 room hotel is the latest addition to the hotel and operator portfolio of Mubadala…
April 6- ground-breaking ceremony was held in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday. The hotel, according to officials, will be located in the Bin Mahmoud area and will start operations from August 2012. The hotel is being constructed by Sheikh Ghanem bin Ali Al Thani and will be managed by Regent Hotels, part of the Rezidor Group KEO International. The hotel will be spread across 49,000 square metres with a seven-storey…
