Category Archives: Hotels

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced the opening of its new Holiday Inn in Mutare, Zimbabwe. The franchised property, owned by African Sun Limited and located in the heart of the city, features 96 rooms, an outdoor pool and a meeting room capable of seating 250 people. Commenting on the opening of the new hotel, Pascal Gauvin, Chief Operating Officer, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG, said, “We’re thrilled to announce the opening of a new property in Mutare as we believe that it will further support business travel between the Middle East and Africa. We are especially proud to continue working with established partners such as African Sun Limited that also owns several other properties with us. We are excited to begin welcoming guests to Holiday Inn Mutare.”

Investment conglomerate Dubai Holding and Saudi Arabia based Jabal Omar Development signed an agreement to develop a five-star hotel in the holy city of Mecca, named Jabal Omar Jumeirah Makkah Hotel, which is scheduled to be operational by early 2019. Managed by Dubai Holding’s subsidiary, Jumeirah Group, a brand in the luxury hospitality sector, the hotel will be walking distance from the Holy Mosque and comprise four towers with stunning views of Masjid-al-Haram. It will include 1033 guest rooms, along with 93 villas, and offer a variety of foods and beverages, meeting facilities, executive lounge, gymnasium, and over 90 retail units throughout the complex. Edris Al Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Holding, said, “Dubai Holding takes great honour in announcing the addition of this unique property to the Jumeirah Group portfolio. As the company embarks on its next phase of growth, adding such a strategic and large hotel to the portfolio is a key milestone in our ambitious international expansion strategy. Jabal Omar Jumeirah Makkah Hotel will significantly boost its growth in the coming years. It will also mark the Group’s first presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Makkah, one of the holiest sites in the world and the highest in real estate value.”

The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel, the newest addition to AccorHotels’ distinctive MGallery by Sofitel collection of contemporary boutique hotels, has become a member of the esteemed Healing Hotels of the World. With this membership in Healing Hotels of the World, this invite-only ‘club’ will be globally recognised to be featuring beautiful accommodation and architecture, cutting-edge holistic healing therapies achieving visible results, caring and thoughtful services, healing cuisine and a natural stunning location.

AVANI Hotels & Resorts announced the development of its first hotel in Mauritius along a stretch of the island’s unspoilt south coast by 2021. The 150-key beachfront AVANI Bel-Ombre Mauritius Resort & Spa will offer the best of both worlds – stylish accommodation coupled with an untouched beach paradise. Only 30 minutes from the international airport, AVANI Mauritius Bel-Ombre Resort & Spa will comprise 150 guest rooms, including 134 Standard Rooms and 16 AVANI suites. The new upscale resort will offer a specialty restaurant as well, along with an all-day dining restaurant, a large, multi-functional meeting space catering to MICE and weddings, an AVANI spa and an AVANIFIT gym, an AVANI pantry, AVANI kids club, a beach activities centre and two swimming pools.

Millennium Hotels and Resorts recently signed a new agreement to build a five-star property on Al Marjan Island, Ras Al Khaimah, in partnership with SuperCasa Development Limited. Operating under the Millennium brand, the 339-key beach resort is scheduled to open in 2020. The resort will be situated on a 75,000-square-foot plot on Al Marjan Island, Ras Al Khaimah’s first man-made island project. Located only 30 minutes from Ras Al Khaimah International Airport and 50 minutes from Dubai International Airport, Al Marjan Island is set to redefine Ras Al Khaimah’s hospitality sector, with large-scale developments comprising hotels, villas and residential units, in addition to marinas, retail and recreation facilities. Boasting a unique and iconic design, the Millennium resort will enjoy panoramic views of the Arabian Peninsula and access to a private beach. World-class facilities include two swimming pools, a fitness centre, treatment rooms and meeting and event spaces. The resort will also host all-day dining, poolside restaurant, specialty restaurant and a sky bar.

Thailand-based hospitality company Dusit International has signed a hotel management agreement with Al Manzil Hospitality Group to operate dusitD2 Seef Bahrain, its contemporary leisure and business hotel, scheduled to open in Manama 2018. The new hotel will be the company’s first hotel in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The opening will help to position Dusit for further expansion within the GCC region, where it already operates five hotels, with another five confirmed in the pipeline. Located in close vicinity of Bahrain International Airport, the contemporary upscale hotel will comprise 195 spacious units with sea view. Amenities will include meeting facilities, a kids’ club, an expansive health and fitness centre with spa and rooftop pool and a multitude of restaurants.

Thomas Cook is set to open its first own-brand hotel in UAE, the smartline Ras Al Khaimah Beach Resort, on November 1, 2017. It will be a contemporary beach resort featuring 253 chalets, a 700-metre private beach, three pools, four bars, a coffee shop, a buffet restaurant, a spa with sauna and Jacuzzi, inclusive of WiFi. Apart from this, Thomas Cook and Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority have extended their major co-operative marketing agreement which aims to raise the profile of the UAE emirate as a premier leisure destination for European tourists. The partnership, which started in 2016, enters its second phase in August 2017 and seeks to further develop Ras Al Khaimah as a year-round destination for holidaymakers through inspiring marketing content delivered via Thomas Cook’s multi-channel media offering.

At the glamourous Arabian Travel Awards held a few hours ago in Dubai, the dynamic and globally acclaimed Kulwant Singh, Founder and Managing Director, Lama Group, was felicitated with the Face of the Future award. Singh, with his hard work, business acumen and conviction, nurtured a small company of a few people to grow into an empire of 500 professional and skilled employees, spread across Europe, Russia, China, India, the Philippines and the CIS countries. Even within the GCC, he has offices in Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Taking his business beyond core travel and tourism, he has now successfully ventured also into marketing, representations, hotels and restaurants. Recently, his company has launched new products, namely, Luxury Yacht Cruises, Dhow Cruises, Hummer Safaris and Explore Arabia – a day long encounter in true Arabian style.

Recognising and applauding the tourism tigers of the Middle East, DDP presented the first-ever Arabian Travel Awards on July 4, 2017, at the JW Marriott Hotel Dubai in Deira. Over 150 notable personalities of the Middle East travel and tourism sector were present to honour and acknowledge the achievements of their brightest gems. Dr Tanushree Pandey, Gladrags Mrs India, along with SanJeet, Mentor, Arabian Travel Awards, and Sumeera Bahl, Director, Durga Das Publications, handed out the awards to the winners. Due recognition was given to each sector in the industry through 48 categories of awards. Welcoming the guests, SanJeet, said, “With Arabian Travel Awards, we aim at identifying and encouraging talent of all kinds in the tourism sector. Owing to these stars, the graph of the Middle East tourism industry has touched remarkable heights. It is our pleasure to honour them for their achievements. This initiative will help encourage more talent to develop and take this vibrant industry to a much higher level.”

Celebrating the hard work of the key stalwarts in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries in the Middle East, Durga Das Publications today presents the maiden Arabian Travel Awards at JW Marriott Hotel Dubai in Deira. There will be four types of awards: Personal Awards, Business Awards, Trending Awards and Partner Awards. The sub-categories will include awards for Best Business Hotel, Best Family Friendly Hotel, Best City Hotel, Best Green Hotel, Best Leisure Hotel, Best Destination Management Company, Best Hotel Apartments, Best B2B Travel Portal, Best Luxury Hotel and the likes. The Arabian Travel Awards are following a systematic method of internet-based voting. These awards are supported by Tourism Breaking News Middle East, TravelTV.news, TravTalk Middle East and TravTalk India who are premier media partners for extensive coverage.