IT HAS been 10 years since luxury operator Four Seasons opened its first property in the Middle East with the Four Seasons Cairo. Since then, the brand has become recognised by the modern Arab traveller for its luxury, anticipatory service and exceptional quality.
“The Middle East, and the Gulf in particular, is an increasingly important market for our properties both within the region and outside,” said David Crowl, vice president sales and marketing Europe, Middle East and Africa.
“2010 saw significant improvement particularly in Europe and North America, but not to the same degree. Our nine hotels in the Middle East showed remarkable improvement from 2009 to 2010. Within the region, we witnessed anywhere from 65 to 80 per cent occupancy and we were very fortunate from the revpar point of view as we continued to maintain a leadership position wherever we opened.”
2010 also saw the opening of the Four Seasons Beirut, a much anticipated addition for the company and today the hotels are seeing a healthy inbound from their traditional markets, including North America, which account for 35 to 40 per cent of guests especially in the Egypt properties.
“What has also become very important for us is the inter-regional demand we have witnessed. That means that the people have an understanding of the brand values and they are appreciated by a broad demographic across the region,” he added.
The company has a number of new projects in development including Oman (due to open in 2012-13), Abu Dhabi (at Sowwah Island in 2013), Egypt (Luxor, in 2013), and Qatar (a second Four Seasons property is due to open in Doha in 2013-14) while Four Seasons openings are also expected in Bahrain and Kuwait over the next five years.
The much awaited launch of Four Seasons Hotel in Marrakech is due to take place in early 2011.