Marc F. Dardenne

'Ritz-Carlton is recognized as having one of the strongest brands in the world, and we work hard to maintain this status,' explains Area General Manager Marc F. Dardenne, speaking to AME Info during the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.

'We have to achieve the highest standards of service and quality, but getting the right location is also essential. In Dubai we are fortunate to have a 138-room boutique hotel with its own beach, something that is now highly prized.

'Once our new hotel in the Dubai International Financial Centre is completed we will be able to offer an enviable combination of the best location for a business hotel, and our existing beach hotel.'

In a sense the Ritz-Carlton has gone for the same combination in Doha with the announcement of its Sharq Village & Spa resort, which complements its existing hotel well known for its excellent business facilities.

Set to open later this year the Sharq Village is a heritage themed boutique hotel with 174 rooms and suites, featuring intimate courtyard settings and a Six Senses spa in the style of a Qatari bazaar. There will be a signature fresh seafood restaurant and two strikingly designed swimming pools creating an oasis of calm by the sea.

It will be the same story in Bahrain where a second hotel will open adjacent to the existing Ritz-Carlton by the end of 2008. But Mr. Dardenne is presently working on two hotels at the conceptual stage in Kuwait and Beirut and has his eye on Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Jeddah and Riyadh.

'In Kuwait we are negotiating a mixed-use complex with residential and office components in a great location. And in Beirut we are studying the redevelopment of the old Carlton Hotel on the cornice.

'We would like to be in Cairo but it is hard to find the right location on the Nile. Abu Dhabi would also be a logical destination for the Ritz-Carlton brand, and in Oman the leisure market has really picked-up. We also think that Saudi Arabia has many possibilities for the future but have nothing in prospect just yet.'

Meanwhile, Ritz-Carlton ran at a record 90% occupancy rate in Dubai during the first quarter, and expects 80% for the year as summer occupancy is also high in Dubai. Lower occupancy rates in Doha will depress otherwise strong occupancy to an average of 60-65% for the year, according to Mr. Dardenne.

Clearly these are bright times for The Ritz-Carlton in the region though the brand's standards remain as uncompromising as ever, and that will not make finding new properties an easy job.