What is The Ritz-Carlton Hotels’ plan for 2005?
Ritz-Carlton Hotels is extremely keen to expand upon our strength and success in the current locations we occupy throughout the region.

“Currently, we are actively pursuing the possibility of a city centre hotel in Dubai and would be very happy to have a hotel in the popular destination of Cairo,” said Marc Dardenne, vice-president and area general manager, The Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Middle East. “Whilst those two locations are our main focus at the moment, development of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company into Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Oman would also be of interest. As an organization we are very selective in our choice of projects. It is imperative that we continue to be leaders in all of the markets we occupy, as we have demonstrated in countries such as Bahrain and Qatar.

What’s the company’s strategy in the face of competition?
The one element of service that always sets The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company aside from all others is the Gold Standards. The philosophy that is adopted by all our ladies and gentlemen, our continuous commitment to quality and achievements in performance excellence are the foundation of our success.
As a global brand, we are continually recognised for our refinement and the special focus we place on our guests.

Is The Ritz-Carlton bullish about 2005. If yes, why?
Absolutely! A look at the performance throughout 2004 of each of our hotels dictates that we are most positive about 2005. We are blessed to be operating in destinations of such tremendous growth and development, and are already seeing that booking pace trends are a continuation of this success in business levels.

What can guests look forward to in the new year?
Consistency. As a hotel company that prizes itself on superior levels of service, the ultimate promise we can make to our guests is to continue providing the very best attention to every detail. The Ritz-Carlton hotels in the region shall maintain the momentum of innovation and success that they have demonstrated in Dubai, Bahrain, Doha and Sharm El Sheikh. Each of our properties will continue to excel as service benchmarks for others to follow.
This cannot be done without the dedication of our most valued resource, our ladies and gentlemen. As an establishment that values its employees, it was a tremendous achievement for The Ritz-Carlton Hotels of the Middle East to obtain some of the highest Employee Satisfaction results in the company – with Dubai obtaining a score of 99 per cent satisfaction. “Our commitment to our guests will be coupled into the new year with our continued commitment to our people,” said Dardenne.