Hotel Show to feature 'room of the future'

The 'room of the future' will form part of the 'Depa Signature Collection' consisting of 14 individually designed five-star hotel rooms.

Rashid along with other world-class designers who specialise in five-star hotel design, were commissioned by Depa, to create a collection of unique interior designs. Previewing Rashid's creation at The Hotel Show between 3-5 June 2007 is a precursor to Depa's plans for a series of permanent showrooms throughout the region. The showrooms will display a total of 25 rooms, 11 of which are already implemented projects, with the remaining 14 belonging to the 'Depa Signature Collection'.

Depa Room General Manager Fulvia Fontanot commented, "Rather than take investors to numerous hotels in different locations, strategically located showrooms can provide a comprehensive overview under one roof. Our plans are well advanced, our showroom in Cairo will open soon, Dubai will be operational by the end of 2007 and five more are planned to open during 2008."

Other designers and architects whose concept rooms will be featured in the new Depa showrooms include Kwan Chu architects of KCA, Marco Piva who is one of the speakers at the Hotel Show Conference, Dubai-based LW Design, Selvaggio by Rampazzi, BBG/BBGM New York, designers Chhada Siembieda from Australia, Vincenzo de Cotiis Fashion design from Italy and Ministry of Design from Singapore. Should investors or developers be inspired by one of the rooms in the 'Depa Signature Collection', they are free to contact the designer concerned to discuss the specific parameters of their project.

"In an age when clients and more importantly their budgets dictate the final design, unique concepts are often diluted. Depa took a pioneering approach by giving these designers a blank canvass with no restrictions about space, budget, materials or style. Visitors to the show will see at first hand the amazing creativity that is possible when these 'artists' are allowed to let their imagination run riot," said Maggie Moore, Exhibition Director, The Hotel Show.

The Hotel Show has grown by more than thirty per cent year on year, and over 700 exhibitors from 46 different countries will cover 13,700 square metres in eight halls this year. The size and number of country pavilions has grown enormously too, with Egypt, Thailand, Philippines, Cyprus, Greece, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, USA, Malta and the UK all participating. Visitor numbers at the event are confidently expected to increase on the 11,400 recorded last year.

Alongside the exhibition, the event will once again host the Seven Star Conference on the 3rd and 4th June. The conference programme has been extended this year to include cultural awareness seminars to assist exhibitors from outside the region, or indeed new to the area, to understand better the way that business is conducted in the Middle East. Meanwhile, regional and international experts will also address issues concerning the Middle East's human resource challenge, the issues surrounding the growing popularity of spas and other topical operational and design subjects.