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Multinational hotel chains are trying to boost falling occupancy rates by attracting Middle Eastern travelers with special packages and offers such as Arabic-speaking staff, private swimming pools, and butler services. Vice President of Sales and Marketing for South West Asia at Hyatt said the Middle East is and important market and they have developed “a wide range of services to attract business and leisure…
A Westin Hotel spokesman confirmed they are closing for 24 hours so its air conditioning system can undergo maintenance. Earlier this year three former guests of the hotel were diagnosed with Legionnaires disease. The hotel spokesman said the planned closure on 16 July is not taking place because of any new concerns. He said “It has nothing to do with Legionnaires.” All guests who have booked stays at the…
The Burj Al Arab is often described as a seven star hotel in hotel reviews and industry pamphlets, although no hotel actually has such a rating. The Burj Al Arab management describes their hotel as a five star hotel and says they are not encouraging use of the term “seven star hotel” A Jumeirah Group spokesperson said “There is not a lot we can do to stop it.” and “We’ve never used it in our…
Dubai based hotels investment company Nakheel Hotels opened the Turnberry – a luxury collection resort in the west of Scotland, and the W Washington DC in the US Capital city. Nakheel Hotels said the Turnberry golf resort reopened on Thursday joining the Luxury Collection brand. Between Thursday and 19 July the Turnberry will host the Open Championship for the fourth time on its Alisa golf course. The W…
Abu Dhabi Municipality inspectors fined the head chef at Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi for storing an out of date tub of yogurt in the kitchen fridge. The British chef, identified only as PH, was fined AED 92,000 ($27,000). His lawyers maintain the yogurt was only one day past its expiration date and have appealed the verdict at the Criminal Court of Appeal. In his appeal to the court, PH said “I am an…
Armani Hotels & Resorts is recruiting 600 hospitality professionals for the Armani Hotel Dubai, which will be located within Burj Dubai. The new luxury hotel is a partnership between Armani Hotels & Resort, Dubai based Emmar Properties, and luxury goods group Giorgio Armani. A recruitment drive is being carried out across 16 countries to ensure a cosmopolitan staff serves the hotel. The Armani Hotel Dubai…
TRI Hospitality Consulting research shows that the number of hotel project cancellations or delays has substantially slowed over the past few months. During the second quarter of 2009 only 2 per cent of confirmed planned hotel projects have been postponed or cancelled compared to 28 per cent between the third quarter of 2008 and first quarter of 2009. Over the last six months only 10 per cent of confirmed…
The company @bahrain said when construction of their new project is completed, it will create 2,500 jobs. The company estimates that their project, called @bahrain, will bring in more than 3.5 million visitors a year when it is fully operational. @bahrain is one of the biggest projects in the country under construction over the past five years, covering over one million square meters. The company worked with…
Bahrain’s Amwaj launched its first hotel in Manama - The Dragon. The luxury hotel and resort was designed to look like a dragon and cost an estimated BD 22 million. The structure resembles a sleeping dragon with a long neck stretching across the water forming a conical dragon shaped head. It resembles a giant majestically looking over the Arabian Gulf. The Dragon Hotel and Resort has incredible seafront…
The star ratings of some hotels in Abu Dhabi will be downgraded this summer when a strict new classification system comes into effect. All hotels in Abu Dhabi will be required to display a plaque showing their star rating within the next several weeks. The plaque will be issued by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA). Eighteen months ago, the ADTA issued hotels a manual detailing the new classification…
The AED2.3 billion ($626 million) Palazzo Versace Dubai project is well under way, although plans for a refrigerated beach have been cancelled due to concerns about environmental effects. The developer for the project, Emirates Sunland group, said 80% of the units were sold before the global financial crisis. Managing Director Soheil Abedian said financing has already been secured through a syndicate of…
Blue City Company signed an agreement with the Intercontinental Hotel Group to develop a five star beachfront property in Oman. The Intercontinental Al Madina A’Zarqa will have 200 rooms including 50 suites. The coastline hotel will be near the Al Na’man community, creek marina, golf course, and shopping district. Chief Operating Officer for Intercontinental Hotel Group – Middle East and Africa said the Al…
Two hotel projects planned to be built at Dubai Festival City have been shelved due to the global economic crisis. The two cancelled hotel projects are the Four Seasons Hotel and the W Dubai Festival City. The Four Seasons Hotel was to be located next to the Al Baida Golf Club and scheduled to open by 2011. The W Dubai Festival City was scheduled for completion by 2013. The two hotels would have been part…
Dubai has decided to bid for the 2020 Olympic Games and World Expo, boosting the moral of Dubai’s travel and tourism sector during this economic downturn. The Dubai 2020 initiative was launched by His Highness Shiekh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on Sunday. Shiekh Al Maktoum is Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The 2020 program will focus on numerous sectors within Dubai and…
National Projects and Construction (NPC) announced yesterday they completed work on Abu Dhabi’s first Holiday Inn Hotel, the Holiday Inn Al Dana Hotel. NPC said in a statement they handed over the structure to Al Qudra Real Estate, which will now fit out the interior. Al Qudra Real Estate is the real estate arm of Al Qudra Holding. The Holiday Inn Al Dana Hotel will be the third Inter Continental Group…
Hilton Hotels Corporation signed an agreement with the New Doha Hotels Company for the Hilton Doha Residence scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2012. The 288 apartment Hilton Doha Residence will be Hiltons’ second property after the Hilton Doha which is currently being developed. The new residence will have 288 studios, one, two and three bedroom apartments, health club, outdoor swimming, a restaurant,…
A hotel industry executive says hotel rates in Dubai have dropped to dangerous levels and will probably drop further. Industry experts explain rates have come under severe pressure because of declining business travel and ongoing new supply entering the market. Data from STR Global and Deloitte Travel and Hospitality showed that hotel occupancy levels in the Middle East fell 9.6% in April 2009 compared to the…
An industry survey carried out by the hospitality research company STR Global showed that hotel revenues in Dubai dropped over 40% in May compared to the same period last year. Hotel occupancy in Dubai dropped 14.5% to 66.5%. The survey results underscore the impact of the economic crisis as travelers across the globe are cutting expenses and tightening their belts. The industry benchmark revenue per…
