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InterCon posts 38% profit drop
InterContinental Hotels Group, which includes the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands, fell 38% to $179m in H1 2009 from $291m in the same period last year, The National has reported. The group's Middle East operations saw an 8.5% fall in revenue per available room (REVPAR) in the first half.'Trading was very challenging throughout the first half of the year and we expect the remainder of 2009 to be tough,' said CEO Andrew Cosslett. The group has 72 hotels in the Middle East.
DTCM: Dubai hotels show 5% H1 guest increase
The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing has said that hotels and hotel apartments in the emirate received 3.85m guests in the first half of 2009, a 5% increase on the same period in 2008. Dubai currently has 40,943 hotel rooms and 17,204 hotel apartments, a growth of 17% on H1 2008.
Virgin names Fursan as Saudi agent
Virgin Atlantic has appointed Fursan Travel as its off line General Sales Agent in Saudi Arabia. Fursan Travel is part of the Al Rajhi Group, headquartered in Riyadh and has 85 branches in the country.
Dubai hotel rates to go up 30% in Q4
Amine Hamdani, VP Fund Advisory and Indirect Investment of CBRE Hotels has said that Dubai hotels will see rates increasing by up to 30 % in the fourth quarter of this year, Emirates Business has reported. The increase would be backed by better market conditions and the festival season in the latter half of the year, he said. Rates in the emirate have fallen by up to 60% over the past year as the sector responded to slow business figures.
IFA Hotels posts $108m profit
Kuwait-based IFA Hotels and Resorts has reported its year end profits at KD30.85m ($108m), with revenues totalling KD52.8m ($184.67m). Shareholders' equity had increased to KD101.4m ($354.6m), an increase of 50% compared to the same period last year, the hospitality firm has said. IFA's total assets had increased to KD338.26m, compared to KD277.88m for 2008. The company's board of directors has also announced its shareholders will receive share dividends of 10 % bonus shares for this period.
Chinese tour groups target UAE
The UAE is the most attractive destination for Chinese tourists, thanks to the availability of direct flights to Dubai, Xinhua news agency has reported. The first tourist group to UAE would start off on September 15, flying Chinese tourists to the country's beaches and luxury hotels, with shopping at duty-free department stores also on the itinerary designed by various travel agencies, the report said.
Syria tourism up 23%
According to official statistics by the Syrian Ministry of Tourism, the numbers of Arab and European tourists visiting the country climbed by 23% in July compared to the same month last year. Bahrain accounted for 55% of the tourists, followed by Saudi Arabia at 47%, Kuwait at 42%, Qatar 37% and the UAE at 21%, the statistics indicated.
Swiss-Belhotel inks new Oman deal
Swiss-Belhotel International has recently announced its further expansion in the Middle East with the signing of the third Oman-based property in Al Khuwair City, Central Muscat. The soon-to be built four-star business hotel will include 141 deluxe rooms, business and meeting facilities, an all day dining restaurant and a specialty restaurant as well as a fitness club with a roof deck pool. The hotel is targeted to be operational within next 24 months.
InterCon opens its 23rd Saudi hotel with Al Khobar Holiday Inn
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has opened its second Holiday Inn hotel in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The 180-room Holiday Inn Corniche is aimed at business travellers, and comes with an all-day restaurant with a live cooking station, a coffee shop, a business centre and two meeting rooms with a capacity of 120 people. It also has a ballroom that can host up to 800 people. The new hotel is the group's 23rd property in the kingdom, with another four hotel's in the pipeline, IHG said.
Saudi's Umrah firms to provide hotel doctors
Saudi Arabia's Umrah companies have been told they must employ resident doctors at hotels of over 400 rooms in a bid to step up measures to combat swine flu ahead of the pilgrimage season, the Saudi Gazette has reported. The doctors are required to monitor the health of Umrah pilgrims staying at each location and immediately refer suspected cases of swine flu to Ministry of Health hospitals.
Dubai World puts Africa projects on hold
Dubai World has put on hold a number of projects until the tought economic conditions ease, including some tourism projects in Africa and elsewhere, Reuters has reported. The ports and property group has invested in a wildlife game reserve in Zimbabwe, acquired three South African wildlife game parks, and was planning to invest in project in Ethiopia and Rwanda worth $100m and $230m respectively. This included two luxury hotels, to boost its exposure to Africa's tourism industry.
Mashaaer posts KD3.1m H1 profit
Kuwait's Hajj and Umrah Services Company (Mashaaer) has posted a KD3.1m net profit for the first half of this year. Total assets grew 5% during the first half of 2009, the company's chairman and managing director Khalid Al-Ahmad added.
Dnata launches last-minute deals
UAE's Dnata has announced last-minute travel deals at luxury hotels in London, Italy and Beirut this summer. The special packages include special room rates at London's Milestone and Dukes hotels, the Habtoor Grand Hotel Convention Centre & Spa in Beirut and Abano Grand Hotel, in the Italian spa town of Abano Terme. The special rates for the packages include accommodation, breakfast, taxes, and are valid throughout the month of August.
Two luxury hotels to open in Doha by year-end
Two of the five luxury hotels designed to be linked to the City Center building in Doha, Qatar will open by the end of this year, The Peninsula has reported. The five luxury hotels, two of which will be attached to the east side of the shopping mall and the others on the west, include two Marriott hotels — the Marriott Courtyard and the Renaissance Hotel — the Doha Shangri-La, the Doha Rotana Hotel and a new Merweb. The Renaissance Hotel and the Marriott Courtyard will open by the end of the year. The Marriott Group will also open the Marriott Executive Apartments, which will have around 123 rooms, around the same time. The Rotana Hotel, as well as the Doha Shangri-La, which will be managed by the Faisal Bin Oassim Al Thani & Sons Holding Company, will open in 2010.
Mid-market Traders Hotel opens in Abu Dhabi
New Abu Dhabi business hotel Traders Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri opened its doors for its soft launch yesterday. The 301-room hotel includes a 'Traders Club' executive floor with a private lounge and targets the growing mid-market travel sector. The hotel is part of Shangri-La Asia and is being managed by Al Jaber Group, the third such agreement between the two in the UAE.
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