Holiday Inn Dubai - Al Barsha sustains success with new facilities

With a full calendar of events in the city, the Dubai hotel has experienced positive results in 2012, but an influx of new hotel rooms over the next six months meant every property had to be at the top of their game to maintain occupancies.

"We have maintained a healthy mix of source markets, with new visitor streams from countries such as Canada, France, Italy and Sweden offsetting minor downturns in the German and Danish markets for instance," he said.

"The UK continues to be our biggest source of business and the US remains positive, but we have also been encouraged by the tremendous boost from the GCC, particularly during the holiday season for Eid."

Looking ahead to 2013, Mr Anand said February had traditionally been a busy month for Dubai, and would be critical to define the pace of activity for the year.

"New hotels will definitely impact on existing players in the market, certainly towards the end of 2013, but we believe that the Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing is doing a tremendous job in its branding strategies for the city and reaching in to new markets."

For 2012, the Holiday Inn Al Barsha has recorded a 5% increase in occupancy and 8% rise in average rate, above the average for Dubai hotels, and Mr Anand said this was as a result of positioning as a four star hotel that offered five star look and operation.

"This enables us to offer competitive pricing without compromising on service standards," he said.

"Customer retention has been high, supported by a dedicated and passionate team. Adapting to the changing dynamics of the market is essential, as well as implementing creative revenue management to meet profit expectations while maintaining value pricing for the customers."

The 310-room Holiday Inn Dubai - Al Barsha hotel was recently honoured with the Silver Award in the Best 4-Star Business and Corporate Hotel category at the MENA Travel Awards.

Located near the Mall of the Emirates, and in close proximity to Media City and Internet City, and the Dubai Marina, the hotel has established a reputation for quality dining with eight outlets featuring Indian, Thai, Japanese, Lebanese and international cuisine.