Qatar Airways unveiled its highly anticipated new Business Class experience to travel trade leaders at ITB Berlin. The customizable private suites, named QSuite, introduce a host of firsts to Premium Class travel, reshaping expectations for global business travellers. The new seat design was first unveiled by Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker on the opening day of the ITB Berlin exhibition, at the Qatar Airways stand. It was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Ambassador of the State of Qatar in Germany, with the Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, as special guest of honour. QSuite features the industry’s first-ever double bed available in Business Class, with privacy panels that stow away, allowing passengers in adjoining seats to create their own private room. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, said, “With these innovations, Qatar Airways has revolutionised the way we serve our Business Class travellers, enabling our passengers to enjoy a First Class experience in Business Class. This is truly Business Class as never seen before and is entirely in keeping with our Premium product and service philosophy.”

‘Building the bridge between East and West,’ an exclusive ITB China preview event with more than 60 journalists from China and 15 other countries concluded at the Jin Jiang Tower in Shanghai. Three months before the official opening of ITB China, the new marketplace for the Chinese travel industry, experienced industry professionals shared and discussed their point of view and insights on the Chinese travel industry. Among the distinguished speakers were Dr. Martin Buck, Senior VP Travel & Logistics/Messe Berlin, David Axiotis, General Manager/ITB China, Eduardo Santander, Executive Director/European Travel Commission, John Li, Vice President /Jin Jiang International Hotel Management Co.,Ltd, Mason Ma, General Manager All Region-based Tourism Strategic Marketing & Advertising Department/Ctrip, Frank Wu, General Manager of Overseas Sourcing Center / Tuniu, Tom Jenkins, CEO / ETOA – European Tour Operators Association and Charlie Li, CEO / TravelDaily China. 

Steigenberger Hotel Business Bay has launched a new Presidential Suite with a modern design, featuring relaxed pastel décor, and commanding views of the Dubai Water Canal. The Presidential Suite adapts equally well to business or leisure travellers alike, and is equipped with a beautifully furnished and spacious bedroom, elegant living room, dining room, pantry, and opulent bathroom facilities with an energizing walk-in rain forest shower. Presidential Suite Guests enjoy complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi access, priority restaurant reservations, in-room check-in and check-out service, and airport transfers from Dubai International Airport, dining privileges in all F&B outlets and Spa treatments, as well as laundry, telephone and meeting space benefits. Also overlooking the Dubai Water Canal are the two CEO Suites, with elegant décor inspired by the first cherry tree blossom in the Himalayas. Along with a spacious bedroom, luxurious bathroom facilities, living room and visitor bathroom, the 93m2 CEO Suite also features a flexible dining room, which can easily be converted into a private meeting space.Suite guests also gain access to Neunzehn Lounge, Steigenberger’s premium lounge facility along with a number of accompanying privileges.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has announced updates to the Desert Tour & Camp Regulations first introduced in May last year. The revisions are intended to further enhance the emirate’s popular desert experiences, elevating the sector’s standards and bolstering Dubai’s reputation as an adventure hub with a distinct and diverse offering. Dubai Tourism has created a more manageable and cohesive set of rules for desert tour and camp operators to follow, which will ultimately simplify and streamline compliance across the sector. These optimisations are a result of continued collaboration between Dubai Tourism and key government departments including Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Municipality, and the Directorate of Civil Defence. Khalid Bin Touq, Executive Director of Tourism Activities and Classification Sector, Dubai Tourism, said: “In order to further improve standards across the many desert experiences and desert-based activities available in Dubai, all of which remain integral to our tourism agenda, we are committed to helping tour operators by providing an easier and more transparent list of regulations. This is a result of our open dialogue with key industry and government partners, and we are grateful for their continued support as we collectively work towards our shared goal of evolving our targets and services to establish sector-wide best practices, which benefit both operators and tourists.” The updated regulations will be rolled out to desert camp and tour operators in stages to ensure smooth implementation. In addition, Dubai Tourism has put together and made available to its partners and stakeholders a clarification document providing answers to frequently asked questions. These cover everything from health and safety aspects, such as ensuring staff are trained in first aid and displaying …

Phnom Penh in Cambodia will be the latest destination Emirates will serve from July this year. The launch of daily services from Dubai to Phnom Penh will coincide with the introduction of a direct, non-stop route between Dubai and Hanoi. From July 1, Emirates passengers travelling to Hanoi will no longer stop in Yangon before reaching the Vietnamese capital. The new Dubai-Yangon-Phnom Penh route will also enable passengers from Yangon to travel to Phnom Penh and vice versa. Emirates will be the only airline with a direct service between these two cities. Outbound, flight EK388 will depart Dubai at 0915 hours, and will arrive in Yangon at 1725hrs. It will then depart Yangon at 1855hrs, before arriving at Phnom Penh at 2125 hours. The departure time of flight EK388 from Dubai seamlessly connects with a number of European services such as Paris, London, and Frankfurt. On the return segment, flight EK389 will depart Phnom Penh at 2310hrs, and will arrive in Dubai at 0540hrs the next day, after a short stop in Yangon (All times are local). Phnom Penh, located in the south-central region of Cambodia, is the most populous city in Cambodia and is a gateway to World Heritage Site Angkor Wat, near Siem Reap. Recent growth and infrastructure development has led to Phnom Penh becoming a significant economic and tourism destination. There were more than 4.7 million foreign tourist arrivals to Cambodia in 2015 and this is forecast to rise to 8 million by 2020.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), the regulatory body for Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), unveiled the commemorative plaque and laid the foundation stone of “Silicon Park”, the first integrated smart city project taking shape at the hi-tech park. Once complete, the landmark development spanning 150,000 square meters and constructed at a cost of AED1.3 billion will reinforce the green credentials of Dubai and the wider UAE. The unveiling ceremony was attended by Dr Mohammed Alzarooni, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DSOA, and senior management from DSOA. Set for completion in 2018, Silicon Park will comprise 71,000 square meters of office space, 25,000 square meters of commercial space, 46,000 square meters of residential area and the 115-key business hotel Radisson RED Dubai Silicon Oasis. In addition, it will feature value-added contemporary lifestyle facilities, such as restaurants, cafés, prayer rooms, a shopping centre and an underground parking space that can accommodate more than 2,500 cars. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: “In line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world, we have conceptualized Silicon Park with smart technology at the core of its DNA. With the objectives of the UAE Vision 2021 in mind, the integrated smart city project reflects global trends for smart cities and incorporates most of the KPIs of the UAE National Agenda, including cohesive society, safe public and sustainable environment. We are confident Silicon Park will offer a modern holistic lifestyle for residents, workers and visitors.”  

Sbe will open its first hotel in the Middle East with the launch of Mondrian Doha, Qatar in Q2, 2017. This soft opening will set the stage for Mondrian Doha’s grand opening celebration, which follows in September 2017. The 270-room hotel has been designed in collaboration with world-renowned Dutch designer, Marcel Wanders, along with South West Architecture – the architectural company of record for Mondrian Doha, responsible for the design of the building. The hotel will be an exceptional lifestyle offering for Doha and will be Marcel Wanders’ first hotel for the region. Guests can choose from five distinctive room categories including penthouse suites, studio suites, one and two bedroom suites and a range of standard guestrooms – all of which share the universal design details of Swarovski crystal chandeliers and sumptuous bespoke furniture in hues to mirror the desert. Sam Nazarian, founder & CEO, sbe, commented, “We are delighted to open our first hotel in the Middle East in Doha, Qatar which is one of the most dynamic cities in the region. We’re additionally set to open two more hotel properties in Dubai in 2017 and 2018 and a number of restaurants. I know that Mondrian Doha will be an incredible destination for international and local travelers alike. It will be also a fantastic destination for the locals to experience all our culinary venues. Following our acquisition of Morgans Hotel Group, sbe is now unrivaled with its unique platform, offering experiences encompassing all areas of hospitality.”

HMH – Hospitality Management Holding unveiled a new logo in keeping with the group’s unique selling proposition ‘Beyond Hospitality’. It has been developed, to not only meet the evolving needs of the market but also, to reflect the group’s distinctive character, exceptional brands and aggressive expansion strategy. Launching the logo, Ferghal Purcell, Chief Operating Officer, HMH, said, “The new HMH logo demonstrates a decade of success. Reflecting our brand culture, built on our commitment to excellence and consistent quality of service, the new identity has been designed to broaden our appeal at every level of our business. The rationale behind our new logo is to highlight the fact that we offer more with added value and have the formula for both growth and success in the dry segment. The uniqueness of the new logo says it all and allows us to embrace the future with a contemporary and energetic look.” A dynamic and progressive feel is the inspiration behind the logo design, with high-rises and tall buildings reflecting HMH’s expansion in a modern world. The letters have been placed in a geometrical way to represent the height of the letter “H” and highlight it, reflecting the heart of our business “Hospitality”. The process of creating the new logo took over a year in the making and involved guidance from top marketing experts as well as team members. Equally stimulating and exciting is the selected color palette of blue and orange inspired by the cities at night. Ferghal stated, “The deep blue sky, with its reflection on the water, works really well with the vibrant orange/gold lights filling the skyline to create a vibrant scene full of energy and life. Unifying …

Sharjah hotel occupancy grew by 5.5 percent during January compared to the same month in 2016, according to the latest report from STR, a firm that provides global data and analysis for the hotel industry. Average occupancy levels across the United Arab Emirates increased by 0.5 percent during January to reach 81 percent, although average room rates at hotels across the UAE fell 8 percent in January to reach AED 712 ($195) due to strong market growth in room supply. The UAE’s hotel occupancy rates are among the highest in the world. STR has also reported that the overall hotel occupancy across the Middle East region decreased 2.7 percent to an average occupancy level of 68.4 percent during January, while the average daily room rate fell by 8.4 percent to $177.81. Meanwhile, hotels in Europe reported a 5.1 percent increase in occupancy to an average of 57.1 percent, hotels in Africa saw a 4.5 percent increase in occupancy to reach an average of 50.6 percent, and hotels in Asia Pacific reported a 0.8 percent decrease in occupancy to an average of 64.8 percent. According to the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), Sharjah hotels and hotel apartments registered a 19 percent increase in room nights booked during the first nine months of 2016, totaling 2.94 million room nights. Sharjah offers more than 100 hotels and hotel apartments, including properties managed by some of the leading hotel groups in the world including Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Louvre Hotels Group, Premier Inn Hotels, Rotana Hotels and Resorts, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, and Wyndham Worldwide. A number of new hotel and resort developments are currently underway in Sharjah, including the construction of …

Address Hotels and Resorts unveiled its new city lifestyle resort in Dubai, Address Boulevard. It adds to Emaar Hospitality Group’s impressive and growing portfolio of luxury hospitality venues that have redefined the hotel industry and set new benchmarks in service standards. Address Boulevard has 196 spacious rooms including 116 spacious Deluxe Rooms, 44 Deluxe Club Rooms, 28 One-Bedroom Suites, seven Two-Bedroom Suites and a luxurious Presidential Suite offering spectacular views of The Dubai Fountain and Burj Khalifa. In addition, there are 532 serviced apartments including duplexes and two penthouses, with short-term guests at the residences also guaranteed access to the hotel’s facilities. Chris Newman, Chief Operating Officer of Emaar Hospitality Group, said: “Address Boulevard is another statement on the ambition of Emaar Hospitality Group to set new industry standards. A celebration of the hospitality excellence that we have brought to Dubai, it is uniquely positioned as a city lifestyle resort – which integrates all the romantic charm of a resort with the convenience, amenities and appeal of a city hotel. Address Boulevard is exceptional in all its facets – from the architecture to the interiors, the unobstructed views of iconic attractions, and our uncompromising approach to superior guest service.” Appealing to leisure and business travellers, Address Boulevard enjoys an exclusive city location that is perfect for overseas visitors who yearn to be in close proximity to retail and leisure attractions. Within walking distance of The Dubai Mall, the world’s largest retail and entertainment destination, the hotel is also on the vibrant Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, offering an extensive choice of specialty food and beverage concepts, ideal for families and young visitors. It is also in close to Dubai Opera, the …