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The New York Plaza Hotel, which is managed by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (FRHI), earned the prestigious AAA Five Diamond Rating for 2010. Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), which is chaired by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, owns a 58.1 percent share in FRHI. Earlier this year Prince Alwaleed announced that the Plaza, one of New York’s most distinctive landmarks, would reopen following a $400 million…
Rotana Hotels opened the Hala Arjaan in Abu Dhabi yesterday, its seventh hotel in the capital. Rotana Hotels’ Vice-President for Operations, Omar Kaddouri, said “The new hotel is the group’s seventh in Abu Dhabi. In addition, it is the fifth hotel the group has opened in Abu Dhabi in the current year and its 22cnd hotel in the UAE.” Kaddouri said Rotana Hotel's current share in Abu Dhabi’s hotel sector is…
MakeMyTrip, and Indian booking engine, announced a full range of travel services now available at www.makemytrip.ae. Customers can now use this website to look for deals and book air tickets, hotels, and holidays online. Cofounder and COO of MakeMyTrip said the company sees a clear opportunity for their offerings in the UAE. Keyur Joshi said their full scale portfolio services “will be especially helpful to…
A Deloitte analysis of STR Global data shows that Mideast hotels are faring better than most others during the global economic downturn. The key industry benchmark, revenue per available room (RevPar) dropped 18.1 percent in the region during the first ten months of the year, but the RevPar figure is still better than in Asia Pacific and the Americas. Rob O’Hanlon, tourism, hospitality, and leisure partner…
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority acquired a 10.9 percent share in the Pritzker families Hyatt Hotels Corporation. A filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday showed that the sovereign wealth fund now holds 4.76 million Hyatt Class A shares with a market value of about $140.4 million. The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is the second sovereign wealth fund to buy shares in Hyatt after the…
The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority ADTA) will set up a hospitality school next year in order to achieve its goal of becoming a regional center for tourism education and training. ADTA Tourism Standards Director Nasser al Reyami, said ADTA has held exploratory talks with seven of the world’s largest and most prominent hospitality institutions. He said proposals are being reviewed and the ADTA hopes to make an…
Muscat Hotel managers have responded to Hoteliers’ Hotel Spy published in the November print edition. The Chedi Muscat concierge service scored very high, but lost points due to the difficulty in obtaining refreshments, and ranked 3rd with an overall score of 56%. The Grass Roots mystery shopper also reported that internet is free for guests but non-guests are charged OMR 20 (US $52) for 24 hours unlimited…
The Mafraq Hotel, which is currently undergoing construction and refurbishment, will be totally rebranded and reopen as the Ramada Abu Dhabi Mafraq Hotel. General Manager of the Mafraq Hotel said “We believe in the market regardless of all the financial problems arising globally.” Gassan Fares said Abu Dhabi continues to have a very strong market and the growth rate has increased over the past few…
Dubai hotel revenue per available room (RevPar) continues to be among the highest in the world. A Deloitte analysis of STR Global data shows that average hotel RevPar in Dubai was $155.36 (Dh570.17) in the first ten months of the year compared to the same period last year. Rob O’Hanlon, Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure partner at Deloitte in the Middle East, said “The revenue per available room for the 10…
The latest Ernst & Young Middle East Hotel Benchmark survey shows that UAE hotels recorded the highest occupancy rates in the region during the January-September 2009 period. Abu Dhabi recorded 75 percent occupancy levels during this period, slightly higher than Dubai’s 71 percent occupancy. Dubai beach hotels had the highest occupancy levels in the region with year-to-date occupancy of 83 percent, followed…
Middle East and Africa (MEA) hotels account for 35 percent of Kempinski’s total international earnings in 2009. MEA President for Kempinski said this figure is 10 percent less than last year, but the region continues to be the most profitable for the Kempinski Group. Ulrich Eckhardt said “We are the youngest entrant – only 12 years, and currently have 14 properties operating in the region, but we still make…
Kempinski has decided to postpone the opening of the Palm Atlantis on Palm Jumeirah, due to the size and scale of the development. The five star hotel will be called Emerald Palace and was scheduled to open alongside Kempinski Residence serviced apartments next March. Kempenski has postponed the opening of the 240 room hotel for another 18 months due to concern about demand. President of Middle East and…
Istithmar World, the investment arm of Dubai World said it was disappointed to lose its W Hotel in Manhattan in a foreclosure auction. The company said the loss is not connected to restructuring of Dubai World’s debt. A spokesman for Istithmar World said “We are disappointed that the lender has chosen this route as we felt that real progress was being made in negotiations with the various lenders to restructure…
Benyan Development Company, based in Abu Dhabi, won an AED120m ($32.6m) contract to renovate and extend the Mafraq Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The hotel will be branded the Ramada Abu Dhabi Mafraq, and renovations will include refurbishment of the hotels 120 rooms, and construction of a 129 room chalet block. The hotel is expected to be complete by the fourth quarter of 2010. The investment firm The National…
The Middle East has shown significant interest in a $1 billion ($1.47bn euro) hotel fund launched by US based investment trust company, Waldeck Capital. The company launched the Global Hospitality Recovery Fund in March 2009 and it focuses exclusively on the premium end of the luxury market. The fund will purchase delinquent assets being disposed of by institutional investors, distressed assets in negative…
Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Saudi based Siraj Capital signed an agreement on Tuesday to establish the first three Holiday Inn Express hotels in Saudi Arabia. They will be located in Madinah and King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Knowledge Economic City, and Madinah Road in Jeddah. Under the agreement, it is expected that 12 more Holiday Inn Express hotels will be established throughout the Kingdom…
The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Beijing Tourism Administration (BTA) signed an accord to share and benefit from each country’s expertise regarding tourism. The accord was signed during a visit by BTA Director General Zhang Huiguang to the DTCM head office recently. Director Zhang headed a five member delegation on his first ever visit to Dubai where he and DTCM Director…
Premier Inn, the biggest hotel brand in the UAE, announced they are reducing room rates at its two properties in Dubai by 40 percent due to the global downturn. Daily rates for hotels at Dubai Investment Park and Dubai Silicon Oasis have been cut from AED495 to AED295, and this price is guaranteed for every Premier Inn room at the two hotels. The company explained in a statement that business travelers are…
