Bouncing back stronger

management takeover of the 250-key Sedra Arjaan by Rotana, located in the heart of Doha on The Pearl Island. We also signed a hotel management agreement under the Centro Hotels brand, with a stylish 350-key property that is set to add a new dimension to Doha’s vibrant hospitality scene by 2023.

In addition, Rotana has strengthened its presence in Egypt, signing new management agreements with Al Marasem Development and Marina Way Lagoon.

Q: What have been Rotana’s key achievements over the past year?

Rotana has continued its tenacious expansion over the past 12 months and marked several milestones.

We have signed seven hotels already this year, which include expansion in Qatar and signings in Egypt.

The Qatar growth is accelerated by a new project with Bin Al Sheikh Holding Group, a well-diversified Qatari business conglomerate. The project includes the management of a 503-key Residences by Rotana. The new project follows Rotana’s recent

The agreement includes the management of two new properties – Lake Residence, which are serviced apartments in New Cairo marking Rotana’s debut in the capital city, and Marina Bay Hotel Apartments in Alamein, North Coast.

In 2020 we spearheaded the management of the pandemic across the Rotana portfolio, swiftly instigating several successful measures, some of which include the Rotana Safe Space Programme that remains today. Our quick thinking and bold efforts in the initial stages of the pandemic mitigated the impact on the overall business and our team, and soon pushed the hotels into a commercial recovery phase.

Rotana is also proud to have been designated as an authorised ticket reseller for the world’s greatest show, Expo 2020 Dubai. Expo was the catalyst that really accelerated the rebuilding of our business and we have seen all of our hotels back to 2019 trading levels and this is very much because of that impetus that Expo brought to the market.

Q: Which destinations have performed well and what have been the demand drivers?

We have seen our hotels grow their RevPAR substantially from October 2021 to March 2022 across the UAE, exceeding even pre-pandemic performance, and this is thanks to Expo 2020.

The hospitality sector is buoyant in the region and leading global recovery for the sector. The GCC is opening up, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE removing all entry requirements for inbound travellers, bolstering international and domestic travel demand.

The FIFA World Cup Qatar taking place at the end of this year will also certainly boost demand to Doha, as well as key transit hubs such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

At Rotana, we continue to reinforce our core values through our journey of expansion and development. Our strong localised focus, agility and deep understanding of the regional markets, constantly enable us to quickly pivot our strategies as demand fluctuates.

This approach has served us well in navigating the pandemic, as well as now rapidly accelerating the trading of our hotels to market leading performances.

Q: What’s been the impact of Expo 2020 in the UAE?

Expo 2020 has been a catalyst for massive growth in the UAE and has had a

DON'T MISS

Rotana has an exciting announcement to make on day two of Arabian Travel Market (May 10, 2022). Don’t miss the ATM Yearbook’s exclusive video interview with Guy Hutchinson, conducted live at the show, and published online and in the yearbook’s digital version.

substantial impact on the hospitality sector, particularly in Dubai. Expo came at a perfect time to reaffirm Dubai’s position as a safe, COVID-protected, and wellmanaged travel destination and ignited global and regional demand for the UAE when pent up travel demand was at a peak. In addition to a very well-managed platform, the global exhibition contributed to a greater level of awareness for Dubai, combined with factors like the golden visas, to attract tourists and investors alike. Furthermore, the exhibition inspired a greater sense of community among the hospitality industry with key stakeholders uniting and coordinating efforts in a very significant way.

With the level of normalcy and activity back in the city, we’ve seen our hotels thrive and we remain very optimistic that growth rates will stay strong throughout the year, as the UAE continues to lead global recovery in the hospitality industry.

Q: How have guest behaviours and demands changed since the pandemic and how has Rotana responded?

The pandemic shifted consumer habits and we continue to witness consumers making more conscious decisions and bringing specific awareness of their likes and dislikes. People are now following brands that resonate with them based on trust and transparency. Focus on sustainability has been further amplified throughout the pandemic, making sustainable travel a huge focus moving forward. Flexibility continues to be paramount; guests are looking for hotels to be flexible with check-in and check-out times, updated cancellation policies, free cancellations against local, international restrictions; flexible upgrades that allow guests to have a better room to be able to work from and to have more space.

Far left: Al Bandar Rotana, Dubai

Above: Al Jaddaf Rotana, Dubai

At Rotana, we continue to successfully implement our Safe Space Programme to ensure a contactless stay experience. Furthermore, sustainability lies at the heart of Rotana’s operations.

As part of our ongoing commitment to reduce our environmental impact, we continue fostering the Rotana Earth efforts and initiate forward-thinking campaigns focusing on reducing waste and energy consumption in all areas of the hotel’s operations, as well as reducing landfills and food waste.

Q: Why do guests stay loyal to Rotana and how has the pandemic changed how you demonstrate you value them?

As a homegrown brand, our development is and always will be, carefully measured in a way that constantly upholds the integrity of the brand.

Our Rotana loyalty programme continues to cater to various travellers’ demands and needs, with innovative features that deliver new types of incentives and personalisation.

The award-winning programme currently has more than half a million members and we constantly strive to introduce innovative ways to thank members for their continued support.

Our core focus is always to deliver exceptional hospitality whether on or offline to realise our brand promise of Treasured Time for each and every guest.

Q: What are the major challenges and opportunities for Rotana – and the hospitality sector – in 2022?

With the coming together of global entities at Expo 2020, and in a postpandemic world, we’ve witnessed a greater sense of community develop among the hospitality industry with key stakeholders uniting and coordinating efforts in a very significant way.

This environment of strong support and collaboration has been key to accelerating recovery and growth and gives us the opportunity to continue this connection and best practice moving forward. I truly hope this can be maintained into the future, for the benefit of us all. Consumer behaviour is still constantly evolving and with enduring travel changes, companies that adjust to cater for this level of flexibility will continue to lead recovery. Businesses need to be agile and flexible as we enter a new post pandemic era.

Q: How has the pandemic impacted company culture and your approach to taking care of your people?

Since the very onset of the pandemic in 2020, we moved swiftly to mitigate the impact on our business and our team, redeploying almost 700 staff members.

We identified opportunities to remove the payroll burden from hotels, to keep them trading and to keep team members employed and paid throughout the crisis. Consequently, our team of hospitality professionals are some of the most agile in the business; their dexterity throughout the past two years is admirable and many have excelled through this time.

Taking care of our people is our priority; offering an infrastructure and support system that allows us to work and strive together, to keep our promise of Treasured Time. We always provide a stimulating working environment and comprehensive training for team members. Our employees are constantly empowered through continuous learning

At A Glance

Above: opening soon – the five-star Slemani Rotana, Iraq

Left: Beach Rotana Residences, Abu Dhabi

Rotana currently operates 112 hotels (18,565 keys) in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) and an active development pipeline of 42 properties (10,357 keys) in the region. Four new hotels are scheduled to open in 2022, which will take its total number of operational hotels to 74. The future pipeline encompasses new properties in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and UAE

A Plastic Promise

In April 2021, Rotana announced the elimination of the use of single-use plastic toiletries across all its hotel rooms in an effort to combat plastic pollution. This change is expected to result in the elimination of more than 17 million tiny plastic bottles a year and more than 100 tonnes of plastic in an average year.

in order to meet and exceed the rigorous standards to which our industry will be held in the years ahead.

Q: What are you most excited about in terms of Rotana’s future?

With a very strong first quarter of 2022 behind us, hotel performance for the rest of the year remains extremely positive, and we can be very optimistic for the future of the industry in the UAE and the wider region.

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