Accor Reaches 100 Hotels Milestone In Middle East

Accor Hotel Services Middle East has reached a major milestone of 100 Hotels in the Middle East with 66 operational Hotels and 34 more properties under development across 10 Middle Eastern countries ahead of its schedule of 2015. The Hotel group's regional network covers all segments of the hospitality market including luxury, upscale, mid-scale, economy with a total of approximately 24,500 keys. The Hotel group is one of the largest operators in the Middle East.

To mark the occasion, Accor has launched the ‘100 Unsung Heroes’ initiative to identify and recognize 100 employees from its regional operations who have made a significant contribution to the group’s success.

The 100 employees will each receive a cash prize, and the group will host a ceremony to donate 10,000 to the Red Crescent Society.

Sofitel, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai

Christophe Landais, COO for Accor Hotel Services Middle East, said: “We are delighted to reach our target of 100 hotels in the Middle East. It is a great achievement made possible by the strength of our relationships with our regional partners and the fantastic commitment of our employees. I would like to thank them all for playing an important role in our shared success, and I’m especially proud of the fact that we achieved this major milestone ahead of our scheduled target date of 2015.”

As the regional market leader in economy and midscale segments, Accor is helping to meet the growing demand for 3 stars and 4 star Hotels in the Middle East region. Accor already has a number of properties under the Sofitel, Pullman and McGallery brands in the region and many more under development.

The COO, Christopher Landais, said that “the strategy of expanding aggressively through select development tailored to each market location, in partnership with leading regional investors has delivered outstanding results so far. He also added that “This success has been underpinned by the establishment of the Académie Accor Middle East in 2003, the first training academy of its kind in the region, which ensures the development of skills and advancement opportunities for our employees. Looking ahead, we see exciting opportunities to expand our portfolio of hotels across the region in the years to come."

637 Hotels Under Contract in MENA

The Middle East and Africa has 637 hotels under contract, with 151,205 rooms, according to STR Global’s September construction pipeline report.

139 hotels opened year to date, with 33,232 rooms in the region, according to the global research firm. It expects 82 hotels, with 18,538 hotels to open in the remainder of 2014.

The most rooms are planned to be added in the upper scale segment (5419 in 18 hotels), followed by the unaffiliated segment (4626 rooms in 22 hotels), the upscale segment (3,531 rooms in 13 hotels) and the luxury segment (3480 rooms in 150 hotels).

By 2015, 145 hotels, with 32,271 rooms are due to open in the region. The upper upscale segment is expecting to add the largest addition of rooms. i.e. 38 hotels with 12,516 rooms, followed by the luxury segment (26 hotels with 5,318 hotels) and the upper segment (31 hotels, with 5,024 rooms)

A number of hotels have opened in the UAE, in 2014, such as the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel and Residences in Al Barsha-Dubai, Sofitel Downtown and Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi downtown.

According to the data provided by the Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, more than 7000 rooms were added in Dubai since June last year bringing the total to number to 88,680 rooms across 634 properties.

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Dubai Has One Of The Largest Concentrations Of 5 Star Hotels In The World

The New York Times said that Dubai has one of the largest base for 5 star Hotels in a long report released on Dubai on Tuesday, July 29^th. http://nyti.ms/1AIKUBc  

The hotel occupancy has remained above 80%, which is on par with London and New York, the paper reported.  “Dubai has one of the highest concentrations of five-star hotels of any major city in the world and one of the highest occupancy rates for hotel rooms,” said Chiheb Ben-Mahmoud, executive vice president and head of hotels and hospitality, Middle East and Africa at Jones Lang LaSalle. “Dubai is seen as trendy and dynamic, which is why designer hotels are now in line.”

Designer hotels are aiming to take a piece of the growing pie with luxury products, spa offerings and a keen attention to detail, according to the report. A Roberto Cavalli branded hotel is in the pipeline while the Palazzo Versace hotel is scheduled to open in 2015, it said. The Armani hotel in Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world opened in 2010 through a collaboration between Giorgio Armani and Emaar.

The paper reported that, several five star hotels have opened in many of the tourist hubs. “A drive along the Palm Jumeirah reveals newly paved paths leading to the luxurious entrances of the Waldorf-Astoria, Sofitel Dubai the Palm, Anantara Dubai the Palm and billboards for a coming W Hotel.”

“Like other hotels in the five-star segment, designer hotels have identified Dubai as an important market as the city strengthens its role as a business and leisure hub,” Ben-Mahmoud said. “But these fashion-branded hotels will only work as solid propositions, not a gimmick.”

According to research by consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle, international operators control about 68 percent of the 93,000 hotel rooms available in the city and a majority is in the five-star category. By 2016, more than 28,000 rooms will be added, mainly at the highest price point, where room rates are around $1,200 a night or as much as $10,000 for a suite, it said.

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