Kempinski to launch regional sales hub in Dubai

"Our new waterfront hotel in the Al Dafna area, right at the heart of Doha's Diplomatic District will be a new landmark of the country and of our growing Middle East property portfolio," said Ulrich Eckhardt, Senior Vice President Kempinski Middle East & Africa. "It will have almost 300 rooms and fits seamlessly with Kempinski' philosophy for the outstanding, the exceptional and the remarkable."

"The group is amidst a hectic state of development in the region and before the Qatar property takes its final size and shape, we will be busy rolling out the group's Middle East expansion, including the opening of our dedicated Middle East sales and reservation hub."

To officially open on January 1st next year, the new Kempinski sales and reservations office marks the group's first corporate presence in the region. The German group operates international sales offices in strategic locations across the world including London, New York, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf.

"We have selected to invest in Dubai as the emirate is a major inbound and outbound destination for the world's tourist industry, boasting superb infrastructure and facilities plus there are a growing number of international business and leisure travelers who use it as a base," said Christopher Hartley, Kempinski's Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing.

Kempinski's first Middle East Sales Office paves the way for the group's imminent regional expansion drive, which includes official hotel openings in the GCC and the Levant and the completion of recently launched properties and investments in existing UAE hotels.

Later this year, the group will see the opening of its first Dubai property, the all-suite Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, which will be adjacent to the Middle East's first ski resort, and the world's third-biggest indoors ski arena.

The 384 suites of varying sizes will feature living rooms, and one, two or three bedrooms. Sixteen ski chalets will have breathtaking views overlooking the ski slope. Eight conference suites, wireless LAN and video conference facilities will complete the futuristic project, which will also include an indoor snow kids play area, two swimming pools and tennis courts.

"When completed, Kempinski Mall of the Emirates will be one of the crown jewels in the group's international property portfolio. Its unique location and connection to the groundbreaking ski resort will be a major attraction for business and leisure travellers and we are extremely proud to be able to manage this magnificent property," said Eckhardt.

"Kempinski Mall of the Emirates will position Kempinski as a major hospitality industry player in the UAE, with landmark properties in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the well-established Ajman Kempinski, which will undergo a massive reconstruction aimed at increasing its room inventory by 50%."

The group's dynamic emergence in the Gulf region recently saw the soft opening of the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, the most impressive hotel ever built in the Middle East, to be officially opened at the end of this year. Emirates Palace has 302 superior rooms and 92 suites each combining the ultimate in luxury with cutting edge technology.

The Emirates Palace Conference Centre is the region's most luxurious and technologically-advanced meeting facility. Conference facilities include a 1,200-guest auditorium, a main ballroom that can accommodate up to 2,800 people and 48 meeting rooms including a Media Centre and Business Centre.

Other group regional plans include the opening this year of its second Jordanian property, the Kempinski Ishtar Resort Hotel & Spa at the Dead Sea. The five-star property will have 90 rooms, 42 suites and two royal VIP villas and feature a host of food and beverage outlets, private dining rooms and two outdoor garden bars. The hotel will also have a designer wellness spa and sport facilities, outdoor whirlpools, fresh Dead-Sea water floating pools and treated mud pools as well as a medical clinic.

"The launch of our sales hub in Dubai and the opening of the new Middle East hotels are parts of the biggest expansion drive in the long history of the group, which is on target to operate a total of 70 properties throughout the world by 2007," said Hartley.

"Kempinski's regional portfolio is special because it's so diverse; it's not just a network, it's a collection of individual properties; from Ajman's beach resort, to Dubai's ski slopes and from Abu Dhabi's palatial environment, to our Dead Sea spa resort, our Middle East collection is being acquired slowly, but surely as it takes time to identify the right, exclusive projects which fit the group's philosophy and style."

The German hospitality major will open a total of 16 hotels during 2005 which will bring its property portfolio up to 56 hotels across five continents. A further 14 projects are currently under development and scheduled for completion in the near future.

"New hotels will open this year in Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, Chad and Brazil, Turkey and Tanzania will each see the opening of two properties and China is slated for three new Kempinskis," said Hartley. "By 2007, China will be home to a total of ten Kempinski hotels."

Kempinski Hotel & Resorts' existing Middle East property portfolio includes hotels in Jordan, the UAE, and Kuwait.