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Some Abu Dhabi hotels to be downgraded
Some Abu Dhabi hotels will have their star ratings downgraded under strict new classification rules being implemented in the emirate, reported The National. Within weeks, each hotel in the capital must display a plaque issued by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) showing its new rating, which will be determined by a long list of criteria. 'Some hotels have been downgraded,' Nasser al Reyami, the director of tourism standards at the ADTA said, declining to give details on how many and which hotels have been downgraded.
IHG to develop waterfront hotel in Oman
Oman-based Blue City Company 1 (BCC1) said it has signed an agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to develop a five-star waterfront hotel at Al Madina A'Zarqa, a real estate infrastructure project in the Sultanate. The coastline hotel will comprise 200 guest rooms and 50 suites and is in close to the Al Na'man community, the shopping district, golf course and the creek marina.
Al Maabar plans six hotels in Jordan
Al Maabar Jordan has invited six international hotel operators to bid for a five-star 190-room hotel in the Jordanian capital, Amman, Al-Ghad Arabic daily has reported. Work on the project is expected to commence before Q1 2010.
CampbellGray to open in Lebanon
UK-based CampbellGray Hotels is set to open its first property in the Middle East, the Le Gray, in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The new luxury hotel includes 75 suites. Le Gray is located in the Solidere district of Beirut's downtown. CampbellGray Hotels also has plans to expand in Muscat and Damascus.
Iraq to build Gulf Cup Sports City
Iraq's government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh has said that the country has allocated $446m to build a 146 hectare modern 'Sport City' in the southern oil hub of Basra to host the Gulf Cup at the end of 2012. Earlier in the year, Gulf football chiefs had accepted Iraq's request to host the 21st edition of the tournament.
IHG to manage Al Madina hotel
Oman-based Blue City Company has signed an agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group for the latter to manage it beachfront property, InterContinental Al Madina A'Zarqa. The hotel consists of 200 rooms, including 50 suites. The hotel will alo provide meeting and conference facilities, fitness centres and spa.
TDIC bond oversubscribed
The Abu Dhabi-based Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) has said that its inaugural $1bn bond tranche under the $3bn Global Medium Term Note (GMTN) Programme has attracted substantial interest from global investors and had been oversubscribed six times. The total order book exceeded $6bn from approximately 300 investors.
Saudi tourism income surges
Saudi Arabia's total tourism income in 2008 was SR78.5 billion, of which the food services sector had the largest portion of this income, of 42.4%, Saudi Gazette has reported. The kingdom's transport sector had received 35.2% of the income, followed by the accommodation sector with 16.3%, with travel agencies at 1.5% and finally the entertainment sector with 4.6%, the paper has said.
UAE, Oman aim to ease travel between countries
Officials in Oman and the UAE are working to develop new travel procedures that would ease entrance and exit across the border and improve traffic flow across these points, reported the Oman Tribune. Ideas being suggested include the use of eye scanning and the creation of a database to speed transfer of information for security purposes.
Sindbad Frequent Flyer teams up with Oman Air Holidays
Oman's Sindbad Frequent Flyer Programme has teamed up with Oman Air Holidays to offer a range of holiday packages with the benefit of earning Sindbad Miles. Packages combine flights on Oman Air with selected hotels, tours and excursions at destinations including the Egypt, Jordan, India, Thailand, and London. Sindbad members will not only earn miles on the flight segment but will receive an equal number of miles from Oman Air Holidays, the firm said.
Hilton to manage residences in Qatar
Hilton Hotels Middle East and Africa has announced the signing of a management agreement with the New Doha Hotels Company for the Hilton Doha Residence located in the upmarket West Bay district. The new residence, which is set to open in Q2 2012, will feature approximately 288 studios, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with facilities including a restaurant, health club, outdoor swimming pool and car park.
Dubai may bid for 2020 Olympics
Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has launcheda 'Dubai 2020' initiative, which will focus on 'furthering economic progress for the region'. A key part of this will be a working group which will focus on the possibility of the emirate hosting the 2020 summer Olympic and Paralympic games. The group will also look at the feasibility of hosting the World Expo the same year.
The Monarch, Dubai to auction rooms
The five-star Monarch hotel in Dubai is giving customers the chance to bid for rooms in an online auction. Called the 'name your price for luxury' auction, it will be held next month and includes meals, spa treatments and rooms. It includes the hotel's ultra-luxury Dhs49,000-a-night Monarch Suite, which this month hosted Paris Hilton. The auction was created because the Monarch said it was reluctant to keep dropping rates and to enter into a price war with competitors to attract guests, and felt this approach was more innovative.
Sharjah holiday promotions launched
Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority has launched its promotional campaign for the annual Sharjah Summer Promotions 2009. Called "Sharjah Summer Breaks", the campaign includes a number of holiday packages and hotels in the emirate.
Park Hyatt to build in Saadiyat Island
The Abu Dhabi National Hotels has awarded the construction of Park Hyatt Hotel and Villas Abu Dhabi to Al Jaber Engineering and Contracting to commence building the 75,000sqm luxury resort on the northern beach of Saadiyat Island. The hotel is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2011 and will have 316 rooms, suites and villas in addition to 4 signature restaurants and dedicated facilities for conferences, banqueting and recreation.
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