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The five star luxury Monarch Hotel in Dubai announced it will launch a “name your price for luxury” auction in July. People will have the opportunity to bid for rooms, meals and spa treatments in an online auction. Director of Business Development at the Monarch said the hotel was reluctant to lower rates in an attempt to attract guests away from competitors. Arshad Hussain explained “In a recession it’s…
Park Hyatt Jeddah – Marina Club and Spa opened on the Jeddah Corniche, marking Hyatt Hotels and Resorts entry into Saudi Arabia. The Park Hyatt Jeddah is in an ideal and very desirable location at the heart of the city in the Al-Hamra district at the Equestrian Club of Jeddah and only a few minutes away from the central business district. The Park Hyatt Jeddah is an “innovative five star sanctuary where…
Work on new hotel projects previously postponed will probably resume as liquidity improves during the third and fourth quarter of this year. The global financial crisis reduced developers funding supply causing the delay of numerous projects in Dubai and elsewhere. Executive Vice President at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels said there will probably be an infusion of lending in the second half of 2009. Jelal…
Luxury hotel operator Jumeirah Group announced yesterday it has appointed four new general managers for its hotels in Kuwait, Dubai, Frankfurt, and New York. Expansion continues to be an important for this hospitality company. Dagmar Woodward was appointed general manager for Germany and will lead the Jumeirah Frankfurt pre-opening team. The new hotel is scheduled to open in mid 2010. Woodward previously…
Leading luxury hotelier Rosewood Hotels and Resorts has appointed Peter Finamore as new Managing Director for Al Faisaliah Hotel and Hotel Al Khozoma in Riyadh. Mr. Finamore has been an important asset for many of the worlds leading hotels in the thirty years he has worked in the hospitality industry. Most recently he was the Executive Vice President of Operations for Echelon Resort in Las Vegas,…
Jumeirah, the luxury hotelier based in Dubai, expects to resume hiring by the end of the year following a recruitment freeze, in anticipation of new hotel openings in 2010. Jumeirah Executive Chairman Gerald Lawless said they are optimistic despite the global economic downturn and their visitors are the type of customers “who do not trade down.” Lawless said they aim to operate 30 hotels by 2013. Jumeirah…
Global Hyatt is planning to increase its four star limited service in the Middle East. Managing Director for Hyatt in South East Asia said “this is an area we will further expand in the Middle East.” Peter Fulton explained Hyatt Summerfield Suites is an upscale all suite brand while Hyatt Place are full service mid-scale hotels. He said “We also have 8 properties under construction of which four to six could…
Luxury hotel brand Essque Hotels, based in Dubai, signed a contract Saturday to manage the Zalu Resort & Spa in Zanzibar. The five start resort is scheduled to open in 2010, and Essque Hotels will manage it for Maisha, an Italian hotel development company. Essque Hotels agreement to manage the Zanzibar retreat is consistent with its plans to develop a global footprint. Zalu Resort & Spa has 9 private villas…
Hilton Hotels from Madinah, Makkah, Riyadh, and Jeddah have assembled at the Conrad Cairo in order to showcase their fashionable and luxurious hotels to the Egyptian travel market. Within the Middle East, Saudi Arabia captures the most market volume (trips) and value (expenditure) and Egypt is the leading market. Hilton Hotels would like to attract Egyptian clientele. Saudi Hilton hotels are providing a…
A senior official with the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing said they will announce the new classification system for hotels in Dubai next quarter. Director of Hotel Classification at DTCM said they expect to finalize the classification system soon and hope the new classification will be out in the third quarter of this year. Currently, criteria established in 1998 are the basis for one to…
Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) will direct hotels to reduce hotel rates by up to 50% in order to increase tourism numbers during the Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) shopping festival. DTCM Director of Business said they expect Dubai hotels to cut rates between 40% and 50% during DSS, which runs for 65 days beginning on 11 June 2009. During the Dubai Shopping Festival earlier this…
Up to 691 families Al-Ais are staying in Yanbu hotels and furnished apartments at government expense. These are people who were evacuated from the earthquake prone region. Property owners have expressed concerned that their continued presence will negatively affect business and cause huge losses. The families from Al-Ais are provided furnished apartments discounted between SR100 and SR350 depending on the…
More than 200 Dubai hotels will compete for a carbon emissions reduction award which will be presented in December. The hotels will attempt to reduce their carbon emissions by more than 20% in order to make the hospitality industry more sustainable. Dubai hotels generate considerably more carbon emissions than their counterparts in Europe - about 6,500 tons of carbon emissions every year. Hotels in Europe…
Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority issued a report showing that the hotel industry improved in quality during the first half of this year. The report was issued by SCTDA’s Licensing and Classifications Department. The report showed the service provided to guests improved significantly. Much of the improvement is attributed to Law No.16 of 2007 which specifies hotel classification in…
The 107 hotel properties operating in Sharjah have been classified according to Law No. 16 of 2007. A statement issued by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) said the new law helps boost hotel performance because it “came about as a result of tourism growth in the emirate’s hotel and tourism sector.” An SCTDA report said that Sharjah’s hotel sector improved greatly in the first half…
General Manager for Dubai’s Holiday Inn said they are confident of a turnaround in the market because there is a perfect mix of corporate and leisure sectors, and Holiday in Dubai is perfect for both. Reda Moukthar said emphasis is being placed on boosting the hotels appeal to the corporate sector. Moukthar said “We have designed some unique packages this season that not only offer good value for money but are…
Abu Dhabi hotels revenue dropped last month for the first time in more than a year demonstrating that the global financial crisis and weaker tourism demand is impacting the capital. According to STR Global data, Abu Dhabi RevPar decreased 6.9% to $249.53 last month compared to $267.90 last April. Occupancy levels also fell to 80.3% down from 88% last April. However, average room rates increased 2% in…
Revenue per available room (RevPar) in the Middle East dropped again due in part to Dubai’s negative performance and its effect on the region. STR Global figures show that RevPar dropped 18.4% to Dh548.12 (US$149.3). Beirut was an exception, achieving growth of more than 150%. Occupancy rates in the Middle East fell from 76.8% to 68.9%. RevPar in the Middle East fell 14.9% during the first four months of the…
