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Starwood Hotel and Resorts Worldwide has 19 project planned in the Gulf region and a senior executive said they will be ready for launch within 2 to 3 years. Eva Ziegler said that Starwood wants to increase its existing offering of 49 hotels in the Middle East, and is also considering expansion in Russia, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the Levant. Miss Ziegler said “There is no cancellation of projects as…
Emmar International Jordan has started construction of the Samarah Dead Sea Resort in Jordan. The project is consistent with the Kingdom’s growth plans as outlined by King Abdullah II Fund for Development. Construction of the luxury resort community will use sustainable project management practices. The General Manager for Emmar International Jordan explained that the project will bring a new dynamic to the…
The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing is offering new hotel rate cuts as part of their “Keep Discovering Dubai” campaign. The new hotel offers range from free to discounted rooms and will last until the end of the campaign in May. The Hyatt Regency is giving complementary rooms to all DTCM guests including free meals between 17 March 2009 and 17 May 2009. The “Keep Discovering Dubai”…
Vision Hotels Management is going ahead with plans to add 1,655 new hotel rooms in Abu Dhabi, despite the economic slowdown. Three years ago Vision Hotel Management opened luxury hotel apartments in Abu Dhabi’s Tourist Club area. The new rooms are estimated to cost Dh600 million (US 163.3mm) In November the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) chairman announced it would add more than 26,000 rooms by the end…
More than two dozen new hotels will be completed throughout the Gulf region by the end of next year according to a new survey. Twenty two of the new hotels are being built in the UAE. An additional 13 will be completed by the end of 2010. Five will be built in Saudi Arabia this year and seven more are planned by the end of 2010. Five new hotels will be built in Qatar this year and an additional two are…
Four and Five Star hotel occupancy rates in Oman increased from 64.7% in 2007 to 86.1% in 2008. The increase is attributed to mainly to the government’s successful promotional tourism campaign in the Gulf. Ministry of National Economy Statistics last year 618,826 people stayed in four and five star hotels compared to 674,204 people in 2008.
Amadeus has appointed Tom Kulinski Business Solutions Manager for its Middle East and Africa operations. Mr. Kulinski has over 20 yeas experience in international companies throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, America, and Europe. During his tenure with Amadeus to date, he has led account migration projects and from 1995 worked in Amadeus (Nice) France in customer relations management. Mr. Kulinksi’s key…
The Dhofar Tourism Company’s RO 1 billion Mirbat Beach Project on the Salalah Coast was showcased Oman Travel Mart (OTM), which just recently concluded. The Dhofar Tourism Company pavillon revealed all 5 phases of the development, which is nearing completion. Phase 1 is the construction of the five star hotel called the Mirbat Beach Resort and Spa. For phase II, 161 Marina apartments around a Marina with 75…
Al Bustan Rotana Dubai announced that Gonzalo Rodriquez has been appointed the hotel’s new Front Office Manager. Mr. Rodriquez has extensive experience working in five start properties in different European countries including Spain and Italy. He is a Spanish national with more than ten years experience working in the hospitality industry. Regarding his appointment he said he remarked "I am positively…
Dubai’s DepaMar was awarded a $50 million contract by Kerzner International Developments at the Mazagan Resort villas in El Jadida. El Jadida is on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. DepaMar is the Moroccan subsidiary of Depa Limited, one of the world’s largest interior design companies. The first phase of development at the Mazagan resort will include a five story hotel with 1,000 beds, entertainment center, many…
Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI) reported yesterday that they expected a 50% growth in consolidated revenue for 2008 compared to the 80% growth rate during the previous year ($178.6mm or Dh655mm). The company said that net income growth is driven by hotel performance and real estate sales. Also, the company’s foreceast comes in advance of their announcement of financial results for year ending 31 December 2008,…
Organizers of a recent hospitality and trade show said that hoteliers need to pay more attention to products and service which have bigger cost savings efficiency during periods of lower growth. Maggie Moore, the Exhibition Director of The Hotel 2009 said that “Without a doubt the hotel industry in the region will face challenges as overseas demand declines.” Miss Moore said that more emphasis is being placed…
Top executives reported that hotels in the Gulf region continue to hire more staff in order to maintain occupancy rates and prevent revenue drop. And, according to a hospitality recruitment spokesman hotels continue to recruit for top key positions, in spite of the international finiancail crisis. For most hotels in the region, occupancy rates decreased from 83% during the first half of last year to about 73%…
The Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) launched a new personal hotelier service for guests staying in club rooms or on the Crown Club floor. This new service is now provided at the Crown Plaza Estate throughout the Middle East and Africa. The new service will assign the guest a member of the personal hotelier team from the moment a booking is made. The personal hotelier will assist the guest with restaurant…
Dubai’s Westin Hotel received the “All Clear” for Legionnaires Disease following a public health investigation. The Dubai Health Authority, in conjunction with the Dubai Municipality conducted an inquiry at the hotel following the death of BBC radio Cricket scorer Bill Frindal. The Director-General of the Municipality said that all 24 samples taken from the air conditioning and water systems of the hotels…
Dubai’s hotel revenue per available room (RevPar) fell 25.9 percent in December compared to the same period in 2007. Visitors to the emirate declined due to the global downturn. The travel research firm STA Global reported that in November 2008 RevPar decreased 15.5% compared to the same period last year, while October 2008 RevPar increased 17.7%.
Crysil, one of India’s leading research firms reported that the demand for premium segment rooms is expected to fall by 11% in 2008-2009 compared to the prior year, while the inventory of these rooms is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nine per cent from 2007-2008 through 2011-2012 across 12 major cities. Overall, occupancy rates are expected to fall 62%, which would be the lowest…
Tests at the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi showed that the hotel is clear of the bacterium causing Legionnaires disease. A BBC cricket commentator, Bill Frindal, died of Legionnaires disease on Friday after his stay there, and subsequently two others guests contracted the disease. Tests are being carried out in collaboration with the Dubai Health Authority and Westin has until now been the focal point of an…
