Hotels in Dubai fill up with families

Having witnessed a steady rise over the previous two years, hotels of all budgets show astounding figures. Officials of hotels assign the reason to mainly the fact that Dubai has been so active in promoting itself as a preferred tourist destination.

The Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel and Towers, a property of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, announced occupancy rates of 95.5% for summer of 2003. Mr. Ahmed Baki, Area Director for Sales and Marketing, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, UAE, said, "There were many considerations world-over that prompted the tourist to look for a different place to go to, other than the traditional destinations. The Far East, though now declared safe, is still a poor option in people's minds. Europe seems to be in a volatile situation now, with the Euro not at its steadiest. Tourists are reluctant to commit the currency required, nervous of the exchange rate fluctuations. Dubai is the answer to all these problems. With its natural and man-made bounty, Dubai is on top of the list of many a traveller, business and leisure. The hospitality industry here is of international standards and is competitivel priced. The quality of service levels here is just what the tourist expects, parallel to Europe or the Far East. We have a huge number of bookings from companies wanting to have their annual get-togethers also. Summers in the Middle East have been totally changed by DSS and the tourist activities in Dubai."


Mr. Pawan Kachroo, General Manager, The Sea View Hotel, had this to add, "We have been seeing some phenomenal growth in occupancy rates over the last three years. We have had straight jumps from 24.5% to 81% last year, to 97% this year. Our usually laid-back atmosphere during summers has now given itself up for one of frenetic activity. The summer visitor that Dubai attracts is not the person who is content using only the hotel's on-site facilities. We coordinate many activities for our guests, including the many DSS activities and events. We have complimentary shuttle services to and from the various DSS locations like the shopping malls and the Modhesh Fun City. Summers have changed forever, due to the ground-breaking efforts of the Government of Dubai and the active involvement of the private sector."

On behalf of The Hyatt Regency, Mr. Stefan Van Der Kruyf, Director of Marketing, said, "Our expectations for June have been exceeded by a huge amount. Across our 400 rooms, we have an occupancy rate of over 90%. Guests have chosen Dubai over other favourite destinations due to a variety of reasons, and we are prepared with the level of service that one would expect from our chain of hotels. With so much on offer,for the entire family, throughout the city in summer, visitors are sure to find something of interest to everyone. DSS and Government initiatives have transormed the business situation in Dubai during the summer, and the inflow of tourists from all over is testament to the attractive offers and world-class entertainment activities in Dubai."

Mr. Medhat Ibrahim, Director of Sales and Marketing, the Capitol Hotels Group, said, "Even being a focussed business hotel, we have found that our occupancy levels have shot up to almost 98.4%. Summers in Dubai are no longer a time of relaxed business activity, it is as aggressive now as any other time. We have found that business travellers, who used to stay away during the summer months, now find this a conducive time to conduct business, with the added advantage of options for entertainment and activity for the entire family. Under the initiative of the Government, taken up by the private sector, the whole outlook of summers in the region has changed, definitely for the better."

With the popularity of DSS growing, all service providers are glad of the turn-around in business during a traditionally lean period. With the active participation of airlines, hotels, rent-a-car companies and others, the visitor's stay in Dubai is sure to be satisfying as well as economical.

DSS 2003 now progresses with Cartoon Surprises, to be followed by Colours Surprises, Sweet Surprises, Knowledge Surprises, Ice Surprises, Arts Surprises, Heritage Surprises, Adventure Surprises, and will end with Back-to-School Surprises on August 29th, 2003.