May 4 – Rotana Hotels and Resorts has announced that it will expand operations into India, Pakistan, Iran and Central Europe by 2015. Talking to journalists about the company’s expansion plans, the President and Chief Executive, Selim El Zyr, said that this will take the group’s portfolio to 100 hotels. At the moment, the group has 70 hotels in the pipeline out of which 30 will be located in the UAE.
“We already have 70 hotels that will be added to our portfolio over the next few years, of which 30 will be at its home base, within the UAE. Rotana’s plan is to add eight to 10 hotels to the group every year; so by 2015, we should cross 100 properties managed by us. However, the reality is that in three years the market here will be saturated, with an average of three to four Rotanas in every city in the Middle East. So for the brand to grow, we have to expand our horizons. In our focus are emerging markets such as India, Pakistan, Iran and Central Europe – namely Kazakhstan,” he added.
El Zyr said that while Rotana is not in talks with any company to partner with in its global expansion drive, the group has sent research teams to key markets in India on fact-finding missions. “We manage hotels only in those markets where there is room for growth. Which is why, even in the UAE, we are setting up niche hotels that target a specific audience. Because of this, three years ago, we redeveloped the Rotana brand and expanded into four distinct identities – the signature Rotana Resorts, hotel apartments, the non-alcohol complaint Reyhaan and mid-market brand Centro,” he said.
