Honour for JW Marriott Marquis
THE JW Marriott Marquis Dubai has been awarded the prestigious global honour of ‘World’s Leading New Hotel’ at the 2013 World Travel Awards.
The hotel faced tough competition in a coveted category with seven other elite hotels from New York to Australia to Germany. The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai emerged victorious as World’s Leading New Hotel after an incredible performance in its first year of opening.
Owned by Emirates and managed by Marriott International, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai has won a total of 14 awards this year alone for a myriad of achievements from hotel construction and design, to outstanding Mice (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) facilities, marketing and PR excellence. The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai caters to the luxury business traveller, targeting the lucrative and increasingly important Mice market in the Middle East.
The new JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai is the first JW Marriott Marquis branded property outside of North America (after the JW Marriott Marquis Miami).
 |
Peek into Warldorf Astoria Dubai
AL HABTOOR GROUP chairman Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor hosted a private luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai – Palm Jumeirah, to offer a ‘sneak preview’ of the latest addition to the Al Habtoor Group portfolio ahead of the imminent opening of the ultra-luxury hotel. He was joined by Sultan and Mohammed Al Habtoor.
The Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah is situated on the East Crescent of the world famous Palm Jumeirah. The hotel will feature high-end food and beverage outlets including a specialty European restaurant with a top-rated European Chef – soon to be announced. It will also feature an Asian speciality restaurant, ‘Lao’, serving South Asian cuisine; ‘Mezzerie,’ an international buffet restaurant with regional accents where Arabic food will feature high – and ‘Serefina’, a Venetian-inspired bar with live entertainment and a ‘Bacaro’ dining experience. Other facilities include a range of meeting and conference options.
Royal Marquee at Hilton Kuwait
HILTON KUWAIT RESORT launched its new Royal Marquee at an inauguration gala dinner attended by the Dutch and Canadian ambassadors to Kuwait and local VIPs, for the prominent Chaîne des Rôtisseurs gastronomy association.
Located on the property’s private beach, Hilton Kuwait Resort is the only five star resort in Kuwait to offer a Royal Marquee with a host of exceptional facilities and service offerings.
The resort was also recognised as a global winner in the “Luxury Beach Resort” category at the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2013. Over 1,000 hotels from 87 countries were nominated. Designed to take full advantage of the sea-facing views, Hilton Kuwait Resort enjoys direct access to a private 1.75 km white sandy beach. The resort also provides a range of treatments at The Spa and features 11 conference spaces and the exquisite Al Dorra Ballroom, which can host up to 1,250 people.
Win for Sofitel Cairo El Gezirah
SOFITEL Cairo El Gezirah was also awarded the Best Business Luxury Hotel in Egypt in 2013 by the prestigious World Luxury Hotel Awards. The hotel is favoured by the business community for its ideal location in down town Cairo on the southern tip of the Gezirah Island directly on the bank of Nile with a private secluded entrance and exit. Meeting rooms are on the same floor with the latest audio-visual equipment. A multifunction ballroom with a magnificent terrace overlooking the Nile is used for weddings or meetings using the terrace for coffee breaks. The hotel is covered by free Wi-Fi.
Turkey to host Hotel Investment Conference
THE Turkey and Neighbours Hotel Investment Conference (Cathic), the region’s leading hospitality conference, will return to Istanbul for the fourth year running amd will be held on June 9 and 10, 2014 at the newly-opened Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Centre.
The event will showcase investment opportunities available in Turkey and provide an opportunity to meet the industry’s top-level executives with a wide range of knowledge from both the local and international perspective.
The Cathic Advisory Board, composed of high-level investors and industry experts, recently convened in Istanbul to discuss opportunities and challenges facing the region’s burgeoning tourism and hospitality sector. This year’s event, which attracted more than 300 delegates from 23 countries, highlighted the need to alter the current perceptions surrounding investment in the Turkish market as well as instigating more open and in-depth conversations between the government and the investment community. The advisory board also identified an opportunity in the Cathic programme for a focus on the resort market and plans are already underway to include a steam dedicated to this important segment of the Turkish hospitality industry.
A selection of other key issues from the meeting include: the role transportation and air linkages play in hotel and tourism investment, opportunities for development in the luxury market, how to minimise unused hotel capacity, the development of extended-stay and mixed-use products including residential complexes and the paradigm shift to social platforms within the hospitality industry.
 |
Marriott is seventh best place to work
FOR the third consecutive year, Marriott International has been recognised as one of the World’s Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Place to Work, the world’s largest annual study of workplace excellence. Ranked seventh out of 25, Marriott is the highest-ranked hotel company on the list, building on its inclusion on Great Place to Work lists in multiple countries around the world, including Brazil, India, Japan, Mexico, UAE and the US.
Since launching the first best workplaces lists in partnership with FORTUNE magazine in the United States and Exame in Brazil in 1997, Great Place to Work now recognises leading workplaces in nearly 50 countries. The World’s Best Multinational Workplace list is based on a pool of data from some 2,900 companies that were listed on Great Place to Work country lists. Every year, Great Place to Work analyses data from surveys taken by more than five million employees and workplace culture analytics taken from 7,200 companies, which represent more than 16 million employees.
Double honour for Emirates Palace
EMIRATES PALACE won two World Travel Awards – ‘World’s Leading Luxury Beach Resort’ and ‘World’s Leading Hotel Suite: Palace Suite at Emirates Palace’ at the 20th Annual World Travel Award Grand Final Gala Ceremony.
Raffles Praslin is leading luxury villa resort
RAFFLES Praslin, Seychelles was named the World’s Leading Luxury Villa Resort at the 2013 World Travel Awards. The resort was chosen amongst thousands of resorts worldwide and noted for its exceptional facilities, seamless service and bespoke experiences. Raffles Praslin, Seychelles offers a luxury retreat on an idyllic island paradise, featuring villas with private plunge pools, pristine beaches, the largest spa in Seychelles, commendable gastronomic experiences and round-the-clock Raffles butler service.
Raffles Praslin also previously won the Seychelles’ Leading Hotel accolade at the World Travel Awards 2012 and 2013. Located near interesting attractions including the Unesco World Heritage Site Vallée de Mai and Anse Lazio, the resort is a destination in its own right.