7 minute read
Hotels
OPENED
UAE
MINOR’S AVANI PALM VIEW DUBAI HOTEL & SUITES OPENS Minor Hotels’ Avani Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of Avani Palm View Dubai Hotel & Suites. The 48-story property boasts 264 rooms and suites. The hotel features two restaurants, a bar, a gym as well as a pool. Avani Palm View Dubai Hotel & Suites is the latest addition to the upscale international hospitality brand’s growing portfolio of properties in the UAE, joining Avani Ibn Battuta Dubai Hotel and Avani Deira Dubai Hotel. minorhotels.com park— Desert Falls Water and Adventure Park.
The resort has a range of new dining venues including Dante Cucina Italiana, Levantine, Nesma Lounge and Telal Café. The hotel also features 246 rooms and suites as well as 84 beach villas and the signature Arabian village with 31 villas. Visitors will also find, the property features almost 5,000 square meters of meeting space, including a large pillarless ballroom and five meeting rooms. salwabeachresort.com
QATAR
QATAR-BASED HILTON SALWA BEACH RESORT & VILLAS IS NOW WELCOMING GUESTS Hilton Salwa Beach Resort & Villas has announced the opening of its highly anticipated new hotel accommodation, which hosts Qatar’s largest theme
OPENING SOON
BAHRAIN
HILTON’S CONRAD RESIDENCES BAHRAIN FINANCIAL HARBOUR EXPECTED TO OPEN IN 2022 Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton’s contemporary luxury hotel line, announced plans to bring the global brand to Manama, Bahrain, following the signing of an agreement to open Conrad Residences Bahrain Financial Harbour in 2022 at the upcoming state-ofthe-art, mixed-use development First Energy Bank Tower. Featuring 98 serviced apartments, Conrad Residences Bahrain Financial Harbour will be located just minutes away from some of the most sought-after waterfront leisure and business venues, including the Harbour Towers, Financial Centre, The Avenues Mall, Bahrain Bay and Reef Island. Opening: 2022 hilton.com
QATAR UAE
ASCOTT SIGNS ‘SOMERSET AL MANSOURA DOHA’, ITS SECOND PROPERTY IN QATAR The Ascott Limited (Ascott) has entered into a franchise agreement with Al Majed Hotel Management WLL, a subsidiary of Al Majed Group Holding, recently announcing the signing of its newest property, Somerset Al Mansoura Doha, set to open in Qatar’s capital in Q4 2021.
Located in Al Mansoura district, the property will comprise 158 keys, including 59 twobedroom units and 99 onebedroom units, across a total built-up area of 29,344 square meters. The property will include a gymnasium, residents lounge, retail outlets and a 24hour co ee shop. Opening: Q4 2021 the-ascott.com DAYS INN BY WYNDHAM TO OPEN IN SECOND HALF OF 2021 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company by number of properties, continues to cement its presence in the Middle East with the opening of the first Days Inn by Wyndham in the UAE. Slated for the second half of 2021, the property will o er comfortable budget accommodation to travelers visiting Dubai's Deira district. Opening: Second half of 2021 corporate.wyndhamhotels.com
KSA
IHG TO OPEN HOLIDAY INN RIYADH THE BUSINESS DISTRICT IN 2022 IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has signed a management agreement with Lina Snacks Foods Company to open Holiday Inn Riyadh The Business District. Building on IHG’s recent signings in KSA, including voco Jeddah North, this latest development supports IHG’s ambition to grow in Saudi Arabia and builds on the strong signing momentum in the region. The 138-room property will feature two F&B outlets, six meeting rooms (1,216 square meters) — that will have the largest room capacity of 310 guests — an outdoor pool, a gym and a business center. Opening: January 2022 ihg.com
BUSINESS TALK WITH RICHARD HADDAD
Richard Haddad, CEO of Jannah Hotels and Resorts, knows a thing or two about running a successful hotel chain. We sat with the veteran hotelier to find out what it takes to excel in the industry.
What defines an accomplished hotelier?
It is all about staying connected to investors, partners, guests and employees to find a balance that ensures their expectations are always aligned. How were you able to manage the company during such a challenging year?
In di cult times, as in good times, the key to overcoming challenges is in engaging openly with the team and making sure they know that we are all in this together. While we had to ride out the first phase with a clear recovery plan, this ensured the team’s focus, and we succeeded in getting back on track without any redundancies Do you have any new projects in the pipeline?
We have drafted a 10-year growth strategy with plans to expand both domestically and internationally. We are in talks with investors in various markets, primarily in Asia and Africa. The Covid-19 situation has delayed the process slightly, but we are confident we will close some deals in 2021. As for our existing portfolio, we are in the process of launching various food and beverage concepts as well as considering renovation plans so that our hotels remain competitive. jannah-hotels.com
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CHADI FARHAT, COO OF SBE
Following the launch of SLS Dubai, HN spoke with Chadi Farhat, COO of sbe, to discover more about the brand’s strategic developments in the MENA.
How important is the region in your global development strategy?
SLS Dubai’s opening is integral to our global development strategy as it marks SLS’s entry into the Middle Eastern market and sbe’s second property following the Mondrian Doha launch in 2017. How do you assess the latest M&As in your company? Do you think many other hospitality groups will follow suit?
We are very excited to be part of Accor and this has been the plan since 2018. While we place an emphasis on staying true to the brand that we created, we are looking forward to growing our global footprint comprising hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and spas with the Accor Lifestyle Platform. This strategy is part of Accor’s recent announcement regarding its planned venture with Ennismore, which will see the creation of one of the world’s largest and fastest growing lifestyle and entertainment operators. sbe.com
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
JOSÉ CANALS APPOINTED AS MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST AND ASIA AT BARCELÓ HOTEL GROUP Barceló Hotel Group appointed José Canals as the new managing director for the Middle East and Asia. Canals, who was already responsible for the Mediterranean and North Africa regions there, will now spearhead the expansion of the Spanish group’s presence in the Middle East, East Africa and Asia. TWO NEW SENIOR TALENTS JOIN GATES HOSPITALITY UAE With five homegrown concepts in their expanding portfolio, Gates Hospitality welcomed two new appointees to their senior management team. Richard Cowling, director of operations, returns to the group following his previous two-year tenure with the company, where he held the role of GM at Reform Social & Grill. Additionally, Andrew Donald joins the team as GM of Dubai’s popular gastropub Reform Social & Grill. THE CHEDI MUSCAT WELCOMES NEW GENERAL MANAGER The Chedi Muscat appointed Thomas Guss as its new GM. Guss comes from a family of hoteliers and brings a wealth of luxury experience from his work in the industry across Europe and the Middle East. He is an accomplished hospitality professional with over 30 years’ experience in the luxury hospitality industry.
CROWNE PLAZA & HOLIDAY INN KUWAIT AL THURAYA CITY PROMOTE ZAID MASHINI TO CLUSTER DIRECTOR OF OPERATION Zaid Mashini has been appointed as cluster director of operation – deputy general manager at Crowne Plaza & Holiday Inn Kuwait, Al Thuraya City. He previously held the position of cluster director of sales and marketing for four years at the property. Mashini brings 15 years of expertise in the industry to the role. BRICE PÉAN APPOINTED AS NEW GM AT ROYAL MAXIM PALACE KEMPINSKI Egypt’s Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski has announced the appointment of Brice Péan as its new general manager as of January 12, 2021. Péan has over 30 years of experience in the luxury hospitality field, including senior management roles with Hilton Hotels in Vienna, Cairo, Adelaide, Fiji and Shanghai. AFIF SALIBI BECOMES GENERAL MANAGER OF RAFFLES DUBAI Accor has made Afif Salibi its new general manager of Ra es Dubai.
This marks the third time Salibi has worked at the hotel in Dubai’s Wafi area. He first joined as part of the pre-opening team in 2007 as assistant front o ce manager and then again in 2014 as director of operations.
