WITH six hotels in operation and a further seven in the pipeline, three-year-old Abu Dhabi corporation V Five Continents Hospitality Group is well on track in its aim to open 20 properties across the region by 2015.
Established in 2007 with an elite team of industry veterans, the hospitality management company covers various aspects of the industry including hotel and resort operation, catering and health facility and spa operation encompassing related services from conceptualisation to planning, pre-opening services, manpower training, feasibility studies, technical services and project management .
The brand, which positions itself as a Sharia-compliant wellness, hotels and resorts product, has been developed by Richard Abou Jaoude who is also chief executive officer and partner.
He said: “Since we introduced the brand there has been a vast increase in demand for dry hotels and that unique ‘wellness’ touch which is a concept that has become very popular in the region.
“We aim to ensure that our hotels are eco-friendly, dry and serve halal food – making them an ideal choice for the environmentally conscious and families. There is a broad spectrum of clientele for these hotels.
“The brand primarily targets three- and four-star properties, offering our investors and guests a product that is not costly, like five-star luxury developments, but intelligently designed and conceptualised and able to provide the service and quality of a five-star hotel.”
The V Continents collection includes, Concierge @V.Continents – facility management solutions – Culinarian @V Continents – for food and beverage concepts with catering services under the Club Palazzo brand and the health academy World Class International.
Under its non-exclusive development agreement, V Continents has established working relationships for five brands from three international companies. The Wyndham Hotels group, to develop the Ramada and Days Inn brands, the Carlson Hotels group, for the Park Plaza and Art Hotel brands in conjunction with Global V Hospitality and the Parkside brand, for selected destinations within the Mena region .
The company currently operates six properties in five regional cities – the Khalidia V Continents Suites and the Culinarian Club Palazzo convention and events facility both in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Culinarian Club Palazzo convention and events facility in Tripoli, Libya, the Murouj V Continents Suites in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Park Plaza in Doha, Qatar and the Ramada Plaza in Salmiyah, Kuwait.
And in May this year V Continents signed three new resort hotels within the Emirates Heights development complex on the northern Mediterranean coast of Egypt.
A seven-star hotel in Tripoli, Libya, The Palace by V Continents, will be the brand’s first venture out of the mid-scale sector and there are plans to announce three boutique hotels in Aleppo, Syria, Ras El Khaimah, UAE and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
V Continents is also keen on joint ventures and is speaking with investors about further properties in Saudi Arabia and also in Oman.
“Our biggest strength is our international experience accented with a local reach. Our corporate structure will provide proven management services within the Mena region primarily. With our network of international brands and experience, we hope to make some fruitful relationships,” said Abou Jaoude. “Investors today are conscious about returns and are looking for intelligent business formulas and at V Continents, this is what we have to offer to satisfy the educated and quality investors.”
With its focus on wellness, V Continents has an agreement with Swedish organisation World Class International, which has 60 spas across Europe, to operate spas in the region and Abou Jaoude added: “Together with World Class, we have brought about a specialist outfit which will focus on the hotels and resorts wellness operations within the overall concept of our fitness spas.”