What’s Trending In The Hospitality Industry In UAE

Technology, Cuisine and Sustainability are the three areas when it comes to trends driving hospitality in the UAE.

Technology: According to the research made available by The Hotel Show (Dubai), the online travel agency bookings from the Middle East region will reach $3 billion (Dh 11 billion) in 2014 and they represent 17 per cent of the total sales but only 12 percent of the potential market. These numbers will grow year on year with the increase in the number of room nights in the region. Hotels are investing in technology to increase direct bookings and also to manage guest expectations.

According to Kai Schukowski, Hotel Manager at Hotel Kempinski Ajman, technology is very important in today’s market in order to stay competitive and being on par with the latest technological sis extremely important. While, Annamarie Lambri, Associate professor of Architecture and Interior design at American University believes that today’s guests demand to receive updates and information in real time, including the use of social media, use of mobile applications and platforms to facilitate connections.

Cuisine: They say that Food is the way to a consumer’s heart. Friday brunches are very popular and considered as a social tradition for expat in UAE. According to Kai Schukowski, Hotel Manager at Hotel Kempinski Ajman, there is a variety of F&B concepts available but the guests are still hungry to explore unique experiences and it could be one of the deciding factors for a guest stay. Schukowski ties this trend to mass affluent, as sixty per cent of the hotels are five stars in Dubai compared to 30 per cent in London. People visit restaurants in hotels frequently in the region on a regular basis.

Sustainability: Hotels in the region are turning towards more sustainable initiatives as it brings along tremendous savings. It is also based on the guests’ demands and the government’s policy to encourage more greener hotels. According to Amelie Zegmout, Hopitality Program Ambassador, Emirates Green Building council, local deployment of sustainable hotel specific certification bodies like Green Key and Green Globe is certainly helpful. Most of the hotels build their own green initiative policies and reporting. While Annamarie Lambri, Associate Professor of Architecture and Interior design at American University, said that sustainability is one of the key trends in the industry as all hotels in the region need to follow criteria and regulations to respect energy efficiency.

A study conducted by professors at Cornell University to understand if there is an advantage to operate environment friendly hotels over traditional hotel, reveals that while guests are not willing to pay more to stay at a hotel that practices the green initiative, hotels that receive certificates such as Leadership in Energy and Environment al Design (LEED) by the US Green Building Council, are cheaper to operate and highly profitable.