The Best New Hotel Development Award was presented to Abdullah Ibrahim bin Hussain, Director for the Raffles Dubai, project developer, MKM Commercial Holdings by Clive Hillier, CEO, Vision Hospitality Asset Management.
Other nominees were InterContinental Hotel at Festival City, Dubai and the Movenpick Resort & Spa Al Bida'a in Kuwait, both of which were short-listed alongside Raffles Dubai by a panel of expert judges overseen by the organisers of the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference.
Abdullah Ibrahim bin Hussain accepted the award noting, "It beat off its competitors for its visually stunning design, wealth of food and beverage outlets, spacious rooms, all with balconies and butler service, and its one hectare botanical garden."
The first AHIC Innovation Award was presented to Ecos Hotels of Dubai. The eco-friendly, budget chain was launched last year by Coral International and the group has announced plans to expand with a network of 150 properties throughout the Middle East.
OBM International chief marketing officer, Cristina Lanao-Rossel, made the presentation to Ecos Hotels' founder and director, Ralph Noblet and architect, Graeme Fisher.
Both award-winners demonstrate the $3.63 trillion-worth investment in travel-related projects over the next 12 years with over 90,000 rooms under development in Dubai alone.
Around 1,100 senior industry professionals attended the conference at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai May 3- 5, where a line-up of local and international experts discussed hot topics in the industry.
Browse
related articles
Arabian Hotel Investment Conference presents industry awards to ground-breaking leaders
- United Arab Emirates: Thursday, May 08 - 2008 at 08:20
- PRESS RELEASE
AHIC 2008 conference showcased the excellence and innovation in the hospitality sector with two industry awards.
Also consider reading:
Digg
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Browse
related articles
Log in to request more information from Arabian Hotel Investment Conference
Notes and media contacts
Platinum sponsors of the 2008 event include: Bawadi, IFA Hotels & Resorts, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, Ministry of Brazil, Nakheel Hotels and The Rezidor Hotel Group.Gold Sponsors include Abu Dhabi Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), Accor SA ME, Aldar Hotels & Hospitality, Almulla Holding LLC, Arabian Travel Market, Breaking Travel News, Christie + Co, Cushman & Wakefield Hotels, Davis Langdon LLP, DLA Piper, DLF Hotels, Emaar Hospitality Group, Emirates Airline, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International Inc, Godwin Austen Johnson, Golden Tulip MENA Region, Group RCI, GuestInvest, Hamilton Hotel Partners, Heller Ehrman, Hilton Hotels, Horwath HTL, HVS, iBAHN, InterContinental Hotels Group, Interval International, Jumana - Secret of the Desert, Jumeirah, Kempinski Hotels, Langham Hotels International Limited, Layia Hospitality, Marriott International, Molinaro Koger, Morgan Stanley, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Mozambique Tourism Anchor Investment Program, Northcourse Real Estate Leisure Solutions, OBM International, Rakeen, Rotana, Shaza Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Strategic Solutions, Taj Hotel Resorts & Palaces, Tiara Hotels & Resorts, TDO - Tourism Development Organisation (MENA), TRI Hospitality Consulting, Turks & Caicos Islands, Vision Hospitality Asset Management, WATG, West LB and Wyndham Hotel Group International.
Media sponsors include AME Info, ATM, Breaking Travel News, CNBC Arabia, CNN, Destinations of the World, HOTELS, Hospitality News Magazine, Luxury Hotelier, Sleeper and TTN.
Supporters: Dubai Convention Bureau, The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, IBLF, IH&RA, Native Energy, Villeroy & Boch, WTTC.
Media Enquiries to Strategic Solutions:
tel +97150 6556126
tel +97150 9803810
About the organisers:
The Bench
The Bench, a global partner with Smith Travel Research (STR), is a market leader in providing daily, weekly and monthly benchmarking data to more than 34,000 hotels worldwide. As the leading provider of online real-time benchmarking data, The Bench brings accurate hotel performance statistics to the market at an unparalleled speed.
Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of The Bench is one of the organisers and founders of the International Hotel Investment Forum (www.berlinconference.com) and is responsible for launching and co-organising the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference and the Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference (www.russia-cisconference.com). Worsley sits as an advisor to the World Travel & Tourism Council, which represents many of the leading companies operating worldwide in the travel and tourism industry www.thebench.com
For further information please contact:
Gillian Powell
Tel: +44 208 297 2053
Sally Marwaha
Tel: +44 (0)1244 341956
About MEED
MEED is internationally recognized as providing essential business intelligence for anyone doing business in, or with, the Middle East and North Africa. With journalists and contacts across the entire Middle East and North Africa region, MEED provides reliable, up-to-date business news, analysis and data in both print and online. MEED attracts customers from across 78 countries worldwide.
www.meed.com
www.meedprojects.com
For further information please contact:
Diana Gregory
Tel: +971 (0) 4 375-7987
Posted by Anne-Birte Stensgaard, Senior News EditorThursday, May 08 - 2008 at 08:20 UAE local time (GMT+4)
Replication or redistribution in whole or in part is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AME Info FZ LLC / Emap Limited.
Disclaimer:
Articles in this section are primarily provided directly by the companies appearing or PR agencies which are solely responsible for the content. The companies concerned may use the above content on their respective web sites provided they link back to http://www.ameinfo.com
Any opinions, advice, statements, offers or other information expressed in this section of the AMEinfo.com Web site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of AME Info FZ LLC / Emap Limited. AME Info FZ LLC / Emap Limited is not responsible or liable for the content, accuracy or reliability of any material, advice, opinion or statement in this section of the AMEinfo.com Web site.
For details about submitting your stories, please read the guide - all content published is subject to our terms and conditions
It looks like you are using a Mac - check out our 
Web Feeds