Gulf Hotels Group Signs Four-Star Hotel
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11 APRIL 2015 ISSUE 283 FULL OCCUPANCY IN SHARJAH GULF HOTELS GROUP INKED A MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH ASDAL HOTEL FOR THE OPERATION OF A DELUXE FOUR-STAR PROPERTY LOCATED AT MANAMA’S SEEF DISTRICT. 05 BIMAN LAUNCHES SAUDI FLIGHTS 15 IN THIS ISSUE MARKET UPDATE 02 TECHNOLOGY 03 CRUISING 04 ACCOMMODATION 10 AIR 14 RENDEZVOUS 17 AGENT CORNER 19 TRAVEL TALK 20 TRAVEL CHANNELS 21 WHO’S MOVED 22 GULF HOTELS GROUP SIGNS PHOTO ALBUM 23 NEWS & EVENTS 24 FOUR-STAR HOTEL 12 MARKET UPDATE TRAVEL TRADE PUBLICATIONS Dubai RevPAR Drops Supply growth continued to outpace demand in Dubai in February, leading to a MANAGING EDITOR Mary Kammitsi 7.4 percent decline in RevPAR to AED852 (USD232). [email protected] ASSISTANT EDITOR Maria Kazeli ased on data compiled by STR Global, dur- SENIOR JOURNALIST ing the month under review supply rose 6.1 Rita Kasziba percent well-ahead of the 4.1 percent rise in CONTRIBUTORS Dominique Christou demand, resulting in a 1.9 percent fall in occu- Ana Mladenovic pancy to 86.6 percent and a 5.6 percent drop in average daily rate (ARR) to AED983.48 (USD268). PRESS B Maria Demetriadou Nevertheless, STR Global foresees that the destination Pauline Shahabian will return to positive RevPAR results and witness a 1.4 per- DESIGN & LAYOUT cent increase in this metric for the year. Elena Stylianou “The outlook for the year remains positive, however as WEB DEVELOPER / IT the third and fourth quarter are expected to overcome a Soteris Constantinou weaker start of the year,” said Elizabeth Winkle, managing DIRECTORS director, STR Global. Andreas Constantinides Mary Kammitsi HEADQUARTERS Burj Al Arab, Dubai T.T.W. Travel Trade Weekly LTD P.O. Box 25255, Nicosia 1308 Cyprus Tel: +357 22 021607, Fax: +357 22 103670 WEBSITE www.traveltradeweekly.travel MAF Posts Increased Revenue for 2014 EMAILS Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), one of the region’s leading shopping mall, retail and lei- [email protected] [email protected] sure pioneers, reported that it closed 2014 with a growth of 11 percent in overall [email protected] group revenue, reaching AED25 billion (USD6.8 billion). MENA EXCHANGE RATES As of 08/4/2015 Currencies shown in blue are fixed against the US Dollar COUNTRY CURRENCY 1USD= Bahrain (BHD) Dinar 0.37 Jordan (JOD) Dinar 0.71 Oman (OMR) Rial 0.39 Qatar (QAR) Rial 3.64 Saudi Arabia (SAR) Riyal 3.75 UAE (AED) Dirham 3.67 Algeria (DZD) Dinar 97.36 Egypt (EGP) Pound 7.63 Iran (IRR) Rial 28,125.31 ith the year’s highlights including the announce- Iraq (IQD) Dinar 1,166.77 ment of the company’s 10th hotel in Dubai, MAF also issued its first 10-year USD500 million bond. Kuwait (KWD) Dinar 0.30 The group strives to achieve the ambition Lebanon (LBP) Pound 1,512.79 of doubling the size of its business in the next Libya (LYD) Dinar 1.37 five years, as Alain Bejjani, CEO, Majid Al Futtaim, commented, “We Morocco (MAD) Dirham 9.87 W strengthened our assets and competitive position by continuing to Syria (SYP) Pound 188.93 execute on our vision to create great moments for everyone every Tunisia (TND) Dinar 1.95 day, developing exciting new destinations and bringing new experi- Yemen (YER) Rial 215.06 ences to new populations.” 2 11 APRIL 2015 TECHNOLOGY WEEKLY NEWS Travelport and Accor Renew Partnership ravelport has signed a new content agreement with Accor, Travelport’s innovative point of sale solutions, by providing rich giving its 67,000 connected travel agents continued access to static content directly into Travelport’s Hotel Content Plus database. the hotelier’s availability and room rates, as well as new and It will also take advantage of alternate payment solutions such as Tenhanced content. the ability to facilitate single-use credit card payments and prepay Accor also plans to benefit from increased functionality from reservations. Personal and Digital: Key for UAE Hotels he hotel industry has lagged behind other sectors in adopting Ttechnology to meet custom- er-led demand, according to a new report released by Grant Thornton. Findings of the Hotels 2020: Welcoming Tomorrow’s Guests report indicate that properties must put mobile technology at the centre of their customer experience as they race to catch up and compete in the sharing economy. “Hoteliers in the UAE must act now to embrace new tech- nologies and adapt to chang- ing customer demands. They must differentiate themselves by making a reality of mass personalisation, whilst keep- ing the human touch, to con- tinue to surprise and delight guests along with further standing out from the com- petition,” commented Hisham Farouk, CEO, Grant Thornton UAE. Did you know... The research interviewed hoteliers, industry futurists and Grant Thornton hotel specialists were between January to March? 11 APRIL 2015 3 WEEKLY NEWS CRUISING Arabian Gulf Promoted in the US Celebrity Cruises Oman’s Ministry of Tourism, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, Dubai to Provide Versatile Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and newly-joined Entertainment Qatar Tourism Authority and Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority came together under the Cruise Arabia alliance to represent the Arabian Gulf at Cruise Shipping Miami in March. nspired by the latest trends in en- tertainment, Celebrity Cruises is to Irelease 18 shows in 18 months; all produced in partnership with the indi- viduals behind some of today’s biggest recording artists and award-winning theatrical and TV productions. The upcoming shows, all created ex- clusively for the cruise liner, feature ele- ments of drama, dance, comedy, musical ubai’s team focussed on the new ruling of theatre and concert-style performances. multiple-entry UAE visa, the recent opening Becky Thomson-Foley, director of Dof the third cruise terminal and the largest entertainment, Celebrity Cruises, com- covered cruise terminal facility in the world, while the mented, “Our discerning and well-trav- Abu Dhabi delegation highlighted the value-added elled guests want modern luxury in all services relating to porting, marketing and promo- aspects of their Celebrity Cruise vaca- Cruise Arabia alliance in Miami alliance Arabia Cruise tional activities to encourage cruise lines to consider tion, including their entertainment.” home-porting in the UAE capital. 4 11 APRIL 2015 WEEKLY NEWS Full Occupancy in Sharjah Qatar Duty Free Hotels in Sharjah reported 100 percent occupancy in the past few Offering Enhanced weeks, driven by an influx of family tourists, especially from Saudi Arabia. azaar, Blush, Paris Saint Germain and Bein Sports are the newest additions to Hamad B International Airport’s duty free section. “We are delighted to announce the open- ing of these four important stores that will add uring the March school holi- a dynamic new flavour to the vibrant retail mix days, the emirate attracted a at Qatar Duty Free,” said Keith Hunter, senior D large number of families from vice president, Qatar Duty Free. across the region. Based on Sharjah He noted that both Bazaar and Blush are Commerce and Tourism Develop- home-grown brands that were specifically de- ment Authority’s data, family tourism veloped and conceptualised for Qatar Duty Free. continues to account for an increas- Blush offers a range of beauty products at ing share of the destination’s inbound affordable prices while Bazaar, whose concept figures. is based on a traditional souk, sells Middle East- The growth is mainly driven by ern and Qatari-themed souvenirs. Bein Sports’ Saudi Arabia, which showed notable boutique store retails the network’s branded surges in the first two months of the sports apparel and the Paris Saint Germain Sharjah year with 42,150 guests arriving to outlet stocks a wide range of the French sports Sharjah in January and February. club’s merchandise. 11 APRIL 2015 5 WEEKLY NEWS Dubai Parks and Resorts Welcomes Shurooq Presents Sharjah’s The Hunger Games Transformation Vision harjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) took part in the fifth Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) in Dubai, alongside four major gov- Sernment bodies; Hamriya Zone, Sharjah Airport Free Zone Authority, Sharjah Economic Development Department and Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. ontinuing its rollout of entertainment venues around the H.E. Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO, Shurooq, deliv- world, Lionsgate is partnering with Dubai Parks and Re- ered a keynote welcome address at the session entitled sorts to bring a Lionsgate zone to motiongate Dubai, the Sharjah Country Focus. He was also one of the panelists at a CHollywood-themed park opening in the emirate in October 2016. gathering looking into incentives and asset-seeking. The facility will feature state-of-the-art theme park attrac- Speaking about the authority’s participation in AIM, Al The Hunger GamesThe tions and a retail facility inspired by The Hunger Games franchise. Sarkal said, “This year’s meeting focusses on essential sub- It will also incorporate a live-stage show based on Step Up: All In jects, from the promotion of innovation and technology and Step Up: Revolution, the company’s recent films. transfer through foreign direct investment, to the creation of Raed Al Nuaimi, CEO, Dubai Parks and Resorts, said, “We are optimal investment regulatory frameworks across the world.” thrilled to be working with a Hollywood studio whose creative resources, spirit of innovation and vision of the entertainment experience are so closely aligned with our own.” Shurooq’s stand at AIM stand at Shurooq’s Regenerating Casablanca orocco is witnessing the EUR28 million (USD30.5 million) re- generation of the historic old medina of Casablanca, a vital part of the city’s history and one of its most appealing tourist Mattractions. The development is part of Wessal Capital’s Casa-Port pro- ject, which will transform the hub’s harbour and port area and help re- store the city once known as the jewel of Morocco.