2018 FORECAST AS BUSY YEAR FOR UAE HOTEL OPENINGS WITH 83 NEW PROJECTS SET TO LAUNCH

As the region’s largest and longest-standing hospitality event draws to a close for 2017, forecasters have revealed that 2018 is expected be hugely eventful for the UAE’s hospitality industry – with no less than 83 new hotels set to open.

The latest Middle East and Africa Hotel Construction report by TOPHOTELPROJECTS –  commissioned by The Hotel Show Dubai 2017, the 18^th edition of which concludes today (20^th September 2017) at the Dubai World Trade Centre – has identified the UAE as being the busiest country for hotel construction in the Middle East and Africa.

The region currently has more than 200 hotel projects in the pipeline, with Dubai (164 projects), Abu Dhabi (25 projects) and Ras al Khaimah (12 projects) seen as the busiest areas for hotel construction in the UAE. Of these properties, 83 will open next year.

Some of the most anticipated hotel openings include Dubai’s Rosemont Hotel and Residences, Curio Collection by Hilton (730 rooms) and Fairmont Abu Dhabi Marina Hotel & Residences (812 rooms).

“The spotlight is firmly on the hospitality industry in this region, particularly the UAE,” commented Gary Williams, Event Director of The Hotel Show, part of the dmg events hospitality portfolio which also includes The Leisure Show and the Middle East Hospitality Awards – which have all run in Dubai this week to massive success.

“We have welcomed more regional and international guests to our events this week than ever before in our 18-year history serving this market, some of which have massive expansion plans for the region, covering hundreds of hotels.

“Some of the business deals orchestrated at our shows this week have been unprecedented, and this just goes to illustrate once more how continually forward-thinking and how constantly growing the hospitality market is in this part of the world. With experts revealing that hotel openings are going to galvanise the market from 2018, we are set to provide the industry with an even larger showcase of the best products and insights.”

Event organisers have today revealed the dates for next year’s The Hotel Show Dubai and The Leisure Show Dubai. Both will take place 16-18^th September 2018.

In making that announcement, the event organisers also unveiled how both shows will be brought to life with more live features than ever before.

Following on from the huge success of its debut running in 2017, The Middle East Housekeepers League of Champions will once again pit the region’s exceptional pool of background staff against one another in The Hotel Show’s timed contest to clean-up ransacked guest rooms, which attracted an incredible 28 different teams for its inaugural hosting.

The Middle East Hospitality Leadership Forum – which itself drew capacity crowds to every discussion at this year’s show – will return too, maintaining the same quality caliber of speakers which included Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM).

At The Leisure Show, new features will include The Landscaping Competition, The Outdoor Furniture Showcase and Everything Golf – the latter geared at providing all the equipment vital to developing and maintaining the region’s unparalleled golf offering.

The ever-popular Fit Hub will bring live gym sessions back to the Dubai World Trade Centre once more, while the Pool and Spa Conference will gather leading professionals to dissect both the challenges and opportunities facing one of the Middle East’s fastest growing industries.

To find out more about the 2018 editions of The Hotel Show and The Leisure Show, please access: www.thehotelshow.com and www.theleisureshow.com

 

BREAKING NEWS: SHIFT TO MID-MARKET HOTEL DEVELOPMENT IN SAUDI ARABIA TO BOOST TOURISM

The hospitality industry in Saudi Arabia is witnessing a significant shift towards the development of mid-range hotels in 2016, according to a new report.

With a market dominated by 5-star hotels, the new report from TOPHOTELPROJECTS commissioned by The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2016 reveals that six out of the top ten brands with the most development currently underway throughout the Kingdom are classed as mid-market.

This includes: Park Inn by Radisson (1,433 rooms); Hilton Garden Inn (1,155 rooms); Four Points by Sheraton (1,890 rooms); Aloft Hotels (627 rooms); Mercure (528 rooms); and Staybridge Suites (538 rooms).

Basel Talal, District Director of The Rezidor Hotel Group Saudi Arabia, set to open two Park Inn by Radisson Hotels in Makkah by 2017, said: “Saudi-Arabia is a key focus country for our group offering considerable growth potential and we are committed to the development of the Kingdom, which is underpinned by a genuine focus on economic diversification by the Government. We have a very ambitious growth plan in KSA, with a pipeline of 17 hotels and 3,780 rooms over the next five years.”

Carlos Khneisser, Vice President of Development, Hilton Worldwide Middle East & North Africa added: “While KSA traditionally boasts a luxury hospitality offering, we are now welcoming an increasingly diversified pool of guests from domestic and international markets – and it’s important that we evolve our proposition to match their mixed demands. This shift has seen the rise of mid-market hotel options, not only in KSA but across the region. In Q4 2015, three Hilton Garden Inn hotels opened in Dubai – which joined two Hilton Garden Inn properties in Saudi Arabia, to attract a whole new segment of guests eager to experience the world-class destinations in this region at an affordable price.”

Adding to the mid-market pipeline, Accor’s 4-star Novotel (450 rooms) and Adagio Aparthotel (77 rooms) and 3-star Ibis & ibis Styles (463 rooms) will open in Saudi Arabia in 2016 and 2017.

Holiday Inn, part of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), is one of the group’s largest brands in Saudi Arabia with 11 hotels currently open (2,281 rooms). In 2015, IHG opened two new Holiday Inn hotels, and also signed two new hotels including the world’s largest, Holiday Inn Makkah – Abraaj Al Tayseer.

Laurent A. Voivenel, CEO of Hospitality Management Holdings (HMH), a hotel management company with properties in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East will speak on “Tapping into mid-market opportunities” at The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2016’s Vision Conference in May. He said: “Saudi Arabia is a land of opportunity both in terms of domestic and inbound tourism and is central to our expansion strategy.”

“Continued development of leisure and commercial areas as well as massive investment in tourism infrastructure in key cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah, is fuelling the demand for affordable accommodation. The mid-market segment is currently under-supplied, pushing the demand for quality serviced apartments as well as 3 and 4-star properties,” Voivenel continued. “The authorities are working on a long-term strategy focused on encouraging business travel as well as economic diversification that in turn will contribute to development of the hospitality sector, catering to all segments of the market. Given the growth in the domestic and international visitor numbers, only set to increase further with a more segmented offering, the future looks very promising for the hospitality industry in KSA, more so in the mid-market segment.”

The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2016 is the only event in the Kingdom where hospitality industry professionals can source everything needed to build, develop and maintain a hotel or restaurant in Saudi Arabia. Its Vision Conference also provides a unique opportunity to learn about the latest industry developments and trends. It takes place 17-19th May 2016 at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events. Register to attend for FREE.