AQUAVENTURE AFTER DARK LAUNCHES AT ATLANTIS THE PALM, DUBAI

*This season’s first Aquaventure After Dark concluded last week – Thursday April 5th – the date for the next event is coming soon, watch this space!

Often voted one of the world’s best water parks and a Dubai landmark, Aquaventure at Atlantis the Palm has launched an evening event for the hotter summer months fast approaching us.

Aquaventure boasts 20 record breaking slides including the world’s largest circumference water ride Aquaconda, the first twin racing tube rides Slitherine and the longest zip line circuit in Dubai.

To the backdrop of three live DJs in ‘DJ zones’, ‘Aquaventure After Dark’ launched at the popular Palm attraction on Thursday April 5th – with the waterpark opening at 7.30pm.

In partnership with Coca-Cola and 104.8 Channel 4 radio, Aquaventure was lit up for full use until 11:30pm, with prices starting at AED95.

A brand new feature – Splashers Island – opened for the first time for children to enjoy, featuring seven new waterslides and a giant play-structure shaped like a Dhow.

Aquaventure After Dark also featured live cooking stations, offering dishes starting from AED35 – while guests had the opportunity to win over AED 100,000 in prizes.

The next event will be announced in due course on Talk About Hospitality – watch this space – don’t miss out!

Find out more: www.atlantisthepalm.com/special-offers/

THE HOTEL SHOW DUBAI SET TO REACH NEW HEIGHTS IN 2018

Dubai continues to lead the way for hospitality development in the Middle East as its most active city for hotel and restaurant construction, synonymous with world-leading design, service standards, and innovation.

The Hotel Show Dubai has been moving with the trends in the region’s hospitality industry for almost two decades and its 19th edition, taking place from 16-18th September 2018 at the Dubai World Trade Centre – is set to push the boundaries even further.

Like the world-first features that launched at the event in 2017, its 2018 line-up is set to reach new heights, just like the world’s tallest hotel which recently opened in its native Dubai…

The Middle East Housekeepers League of Champions 2018

Fairmont Dubai win at The Middle East Houskeepers League of Champions 2017

The first event of its kind in the world launched at The Hotel Show last year, and is returning to Dubai after widespread acclaim that’s led to editions in the likes of South Africa.  Housekeeping staff are arguably the most vital component of any successful hotel. At The Middle East Housekeepers League of Champions, it is their time to shine. At The Hotel Show Dubai 2018 the event will once again pit teams from the UAE’s biggest hotels head-to-head as they race to remedy ransacked rooms against the clock. Fairmont Dubai was crowned champion last year, let’s see who will be taking the title this September…

The Middle East Hospitality Leadership Forum 2018

Issam Kazim, CEO, DCTCM at The Hotel Show's The Middle East Hospitality Leadership Forum 2017

Will also return to the event with a brand-new line up of expert speakers. The key industry forum will feature well over 50 senior hoteliers, restaurateurs, developers and other key market players engaged in live and unscripted debate on the key strategic opportunities and challenges shaping the regional sector at this time of accelerated expansion and change.

Middle East Hospitality Awards 2018

Gary Rhodes OBE - speech at MEHA Lifetime Achievement Award

The Middle East Hospitality Awards will once again take place at one of the top hotels in Dubai, the venue to be announced at The Hotel Show Dubai 2018 launch party (details coming soon!). The evening celebrates outstanding achievements, innovations and excellence across the region’s top hotels, resorts and restaurants over the past 12 months and is set to be attended once again by hundreds of senior industry professionals.

INNOVATION ALERT: Watch this space…
Brand-new features are yet to be announced for 2018 – set to bring innovative takes on the key functions of any hotel and/or restaurant that the industry will not want to miss…

Relive the highlights from The Hotel Show Dubai 2017 
The new show highlights video showcases all of the best of the 18th edition of the region’s leading hospitality event – take a look… 

Find out more: www.thehotelshow.com 

 

DUBAI INTERNATIONAL HOSPITALITY WEEK AFFIRMS DUBAI’S PIVOTAL ROLE FOR REGION’S HOSPITALITY SECTOR

Event to consolidate key trade shows catering to hotel and foodservices sector – GulfHost, The Hotel Show, The Leisure Show, Speciality Food Festival, SEAFEX Middle East & yummex ME

As markets across the Middle East look to diversify their economies, the launch of Dubai International Hospitality Week (DIHW) in September this year is recognition of the hospitality sector as a key driver of GDP growth in the region. Endorsed by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), what will be the largest hotel and foodservice expo in the Middle East takes place from 18-20 September and includes six co-located trade shows: GulfHost, owned and organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC); The Hotel Show and The Leisure Show, owned and organised by dmg events; and The Speciality Food Festival (DWTC), SEAFEX Middle East (DWTC) and yummex ME, jointly organised by DWTC and Kölnmesse.

The scale of DIHW is unprecedented for the global hospitality sector, bringing together more than 2,000 of the world’s top hospitality brands from across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The full spectrum of products and services required to operate hospitality businesses – whether global hotel chains, fine dining restaurants, quick service outlets or independent coffee shops – will be showcased between the six complementary shows.

More than 50,000 visitors, including buyers from top groups that include Crowne Plaza, Dubai Duty Free, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, IHG, Marriott and Spinneys, among others, will be making key purchasing decisions during the show, ahead of the sector’s high season.

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said: “The hospitality sector has long been a key pillar of Dubai’s tourism industry and the emirate’s wider economy. The dramatic growth we’ve seen in the sector over the years is testament to the attractiveness of Dubai as an investment prospect and a destination that prides itself in offering an environment that facilitates and supports business success. We are therefore very pleased to launch Dubai International Hospitality Week as a platform enabling the region’s hospitality players to come together, exchange knowledge and learnings, and create valuable opportunities for future growth.”

There are currently more than 800 hotels under construction in the Middle East and Africa, equating to over 200,000 rooms according to STR Global, with an urgent requirement for furnishings, equipment, technology and hardware to enable completion as quickly as possible. Equally, the foodservice sector continues to grow with a current CAGR of 7.6%, and is expected to reach a value of USD58.7 billion (AED215 billion) by 2021.¹

The co-location of shows under the DIHW umbrella offers efficiencies and convenience for professionals and buyers on a scale not previously available in the region. GulfHost 2017 boasts a dedicated portfolio of hospitality and catering equipment solutions for both front and back of house, while The Hotel Show showcases products and services for every aspect of hotel development, from build to technology. The Leisure Show takes this further with a focus on the leisure aspects of a hotel or resort including pool and spa, and sports and fitness. The Speciality Food Events by Gulfood include The Speciality Food Festival for gourmet, artisan, organic and halal foods, SEAFEX Middle East for seafood, and yummex ME for an extensive offering of global snacks and confectionery.

DIHW takes place from 18-20 September 2017 at Dubai World Trade Centre.

THE HOTEL SHOW DUBAI ANNOUNCES NEW FEATURES FOR 2017

The Hotel Show Dubai, the largest, longest-standing and most comprehensive hospitality trade show in the Middle East and Africa, is announcing a host of new features for its 18th edition in September 2017.

Each year the event offers the ultimate showcase of everything needed to build, develop and maintain a hotel or restaurant in the region. Sectors at the show range from décor and finishings to in-room technologies.

For the first time in 2017, the annual exhibition will form a core part of a brand-new industry mega-event ‘Dubai International Hospitality Week’ organised by dmg events and the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

Bringing together dmg’s The Hotel Show with the launch of DWTC’s GulfHost (alongside an extended programme of live events), the Dubai Tourism endorsed event is anticipated to attract more than 50,000 visitors to the DWTC when it launches in September.

The Hotel Show portfolio has unveiled an all-new brand identity this year in consultation with the global hospitality industry at a time of international growth. New editions of the event are launching in hospitality development hotspots Africa (June) and the Philippines (August), while its existing event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia turned five in May. Each event is taking the format of the successful Dubai show, adding elements of local flavor.

Also expanding in 2017 is the feature line-up of the flagship Dubai edition. With an aim to cater to every element of the guest experience like never before, new installations are set to focus on some its most important elements: housekeeping, staff uniforms, F&B, technology and much more.

The Middle East Hospitality Leadership Forum will be a central new feature of this year’s show. GMs and owners from all types of hospitality operators will sit alongside major developers, asset managers, online travel sites and other influential players in the industry to debate the key strategic opportunities and challenges shaping the regional sector at what is a period of accelerated expansion and change. Speakers from major hotel brands including Marriott, Fairmont, Jumeirah, Four Seasons, Nikki Beach, and Waldorf Astoria will discuss a range of topics, including: ‘Building Genuine Brand Identity’, ‘Market Positioning’, ‘Online Influencers’ and ‘Women in Leadership’.

Alongside a range of educational seminars and workshops run by leading industry experts, new features have been announced: ‘The Middle East Housekeepers League of Champions’, and ‘The Runway’, set to entertain and offer valuable hospitality insight.

In consultation with the UAE Professional Housekeepers Group, The Middle East Housekeepers League of Champions, sponsored by Restonic, is a live competition where two typical hotel rooms will be set-up back to back and turned upside down. Two teams of housekeepers (part of a wider league) will compete head-to-head to put the room back to its original state in the fastest time.

Lakmall Mawella, ‎Executive Housekeeper at The Address Boulevard Dubai commented: “The hotel industry keeps changing yet many people think housekeeping is stagnant, which it’s not. It has moved a lot in the last decade in terms of technology and efficiency and how to clean a hotel room. In the past, it was all about just cleaning, but now it’s about engagement with guests and the efficiency of doing things. A few years back it took one hour to clean one room and now it takes about 20 minutes. Based on this, at The Hotel Show I may meet a supplier that provides a machine which can scrub a floor in less than a minute compared to longer in previous years, so its gives us more insight how we can do things more efficiently and increase productivity which may help the hotel, revenues or ROI which is the important part.”

Meanwhile The Runway, in association with bespoke uniform designers A. Ronai LLC, will showcase trends in the latest uniform ranges for the likes of security, front of house, spa and pool personnel.

Further, exciting details of the new seminars and features will be announced by The Hotel Show organisers in the lead-up to the event. Ray Tinston, Portfolio Director of the dmg events hospitality portfolio, commented:  “As the industry changes and grows, so must we, and we have. The Hotel Show is showcasing an all-new brand identity, creating a sleek platform on which to network in the most efficient way possible.”

“Through our new features that directly reflect the industry, the hoteliers and all departments within a hotel, we are confident that our rebrand allows us to reposition our place within the region’s outstanding hospitality industry, and provides a stage that its people deserve and are proud to do business on. We are a community, and The Hotel Show is our annual get-together.”

More than 600 exhibitors, 7 show sectors and multiple installations placed throughout 8 exhibition halls, will welcome 1000s of hospitality industry professionals across 3 days. To find out more information on The Hotel Show 2017, access: www.thehotelshow.com

 

GROWING TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY SECTORS CONVERGE AT THE HOTEL SHOW AFRICA 2017 IN JOHANNESBURG

Leading hospitality suppliers from around the world have landed in Johannesburg for the inaugural The Hotel Show Africa, taking place from June 25 to 27.

The Hotel Show Africa 2017 is co-located with the continent’s long-established food and beverage show Africa’s Big 7, making this the biggest food and hospitality platform in its history, both part of Retail & Hospitality Week at The Gallagher Conference Centre.

The new event is adapted for the African market and based on international organiser dmg events MEA’s highly successful The Hotel Show Dubai, the 18th edition of which will take place this September.

Tourism is at the heart of South Africa’s economic growth plan with a government-backed target of a 50 per cent increase in visitors by 2020. The hospitality sector is a key growth target for governments across sub-Saharan Africa and the continent has almost 30,000 new rooms under construction at 159 hotels this year.

Top national and international suppliers are showcasing hospitality products for restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels, right through to food & beverage service outlets at The Hotel Show Africa 2017.

Highlights of the three day event include:

  • Build and security, three of the world leaders: Access Control Technologies, Dormakaba and Assa Abloy. In the bedroom, top US mattress supplier Restonic will be at the show alongside Belgotex, which is Africa’s leading flooring company, established on four continents.
  • Blind Rage, promises the biggest selection of window dressings in the country, while leading furniture manufacturer Calgan Recliners will also be at the show. Origin Fitness brings the world’s top gym equipment.
  • The Vision Conference, which has top speakers from around the world runs over the three days. It will examine key issues for the continent including: attracting investment for new build; the technology that is changing hospitality; what guests expect in 2017 and how the future African tourism can set the sustainability standard for the world.
  • Speakers include industry leaders from Tsogo Sun; Tourism Grading Council; Solarus; Carlson Rezidor Group; Accor and Hilton Hotels.
  • Other event features include a ‘WACS Kitchen of the Future Challenge’ by WORLDCHEFS.

The Hotel Show 2017 is part of Retail & Hospitality Week 2017 at The Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa, from June 25 to 27. Learn more about The Hotel Show Africa 2017 and the Vision Conference at www.thehotelshowafrica.com