ROTANA, the leading hotel management company in the Middle East and Africa, announced its participation at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) for the 15th year in a row to strengthen its presence and support its target of reaching a portfolio of 70 properties by 2012 creating 3,500 new jobs.
The brand is geared towards another challenging year, as it continues to develop with expansion taking it into new markets such as Bahrain, Baghdad, Jordan, Oman, Iraq, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Rotana COO Omer Kaddouri said: “Rotana will be exhibiting at the ATM amongst a large number of international and high-profile companies and the major Middle East tourism boards. Our participation will strengthen our presence and will definitely support Rotana’s expansion plans.”
Earlier this year the Abu Dhabi-based group announced that it will open six new properties in the UAE in 2011 bringing the size of its managed portfolio to $800 million and the number of hotels in the UAE to 33, the largest of any single hotel brand, local or foreign.
Rotana is also scheduled to open a new property in Qatar as part of an aggressive, yet tactical expansion strategy in the region that will see the group managing a massive 12,515 rooms across its regional portfolio by the end of 2011.
“The last few months have seen the hospitality industry in the Middle East and Africa registering positive growth. We see that momentum being sustained as general business conditions improve across the board,” said Kaddouri.
As a leader in the region’s hospitality industry, Kaddouri underscores Rotana’s commitment to creating opportunities that will support its long-term growth. “We are constantly developing new ways to keep in step with changing travel trends and guest preferences, and one of the key areas for growth that we are currently addressing is the mid-tier market, for which we developed the Centro Hotels by Rotana brand,” he said.
The company’s strategic aim is to have a property located in every key city of the Middle East and Africa. “Location is our main focus when it comes to deciding on managing a property,” said Kaddouri. “We see a lot of potential in Iraq, where the infrastructure build up is seeing a surge in the influx of international firms taking advantage of the construction boom. Lebanon is also on our radar, because of a booming tourism sector spawned by reforms. Plus, Qatar’s triumphant World Cup 2022 bid offers plenty of opportunities that we are keen on taking advantage of.”
The proudly home-grown hospitality brand will require 3,500 new employees to support its growth targets, a welcome development for an industry hit by substantial lay-offs as a result of the global downturn.
Other exciting developments the group will introduce in 2011 include a mobile booking platform as well as other mobile applications and also the adoption of ‘green standards’ and energy management technologies across all new properties.