AS LARGE numbers of hotel companies are signing deals to open new properties in Saudi Arabia specially to meet the influx of pilgrims who travel to the holy cities of Makkah and Medinah, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which opened the Makkah Clock Royal Tower last November strongly believes that Saudi Arabia today is easily the strongest destination in terms of tourism growth in the region.
Rami Moukarzel, director development Europe, Africa and the Middle East for Fairmont & Raffles Hotels International says: “Makkah and Medinah welcome close to 1.7 billion Muslims every year and, as a result, most of the government investments are focussed is these cities. That is why we took our brand there. From there we have leveraged the opportunity to expand in the rest of Saudi Arabia.”
Fairmont has also recently signed an agreement to open a new luxury hotel in Riyadh. Part of a new mixed-use development project, the 287-room luxury hotel and 4,000-sq- m convention centre is expected to open in late 2012.
"We expect to announce plans for additional hotels over the coming years as the kingdom is a key strategic destination for us," said Moukarzel.
“We currently operate the iconic Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower, the Raffles Makkah Palace and expect to open our third property, The Swissôtel Makkah, by the Haj season, at the end of the year. The three properties together will take our inventory of rooms in Makkah to 2,700, which is about 40 per cent of the market share in the central district.”
Moukarzel believes that since each of the three hotels is unique in their own right, the will continue to cater to different markets.
“In high season, the two properties that are currently operational see 100-per-cent occupancy, while the rest of the year we witness about 60-per-cent occupancy, which is very encouraging. Our main focus during the off-peak seasons will continue to be the GCC nationals and residents, especially since they don’t require visas.”
Each of the hotels is unique. The Raffles Makkah Palace is an all-suite hotel with 213 suites with breathtaking views of the Grand Mosque and Kaaba, it ideally suits families. The Fairmont with its 858 rooms and 12 restaurants is a unique offering, while the Swissôtel Makkah with 1,571 guest rooms, including 88 suites, spread over 53 floors, with half of all the rooms and suites enjoying a view of the Holy Mosque, will cater to large groups.
Speaking about the influx of other hotel operators into Saudi Arabia and Makkah, Moukarzel believes that the iconic location of the three properties will always put the group in a strong position. “Besides that our brands, service variety and quality have forced other hotels to upgrade themselves and competition is healthy and we will always want to lead,” he said.
The hotels also provide facilities such as banquet halls, state-of-the-art spas, a wide range of food and beverage facilities, gym and recreational facilities, business centres and shopping centres.
“We have noticed that we have started attracting business not just for Umrah, but also for leisure and business and that the average stay of our guests has increased. Today, we are the only and first hotels in Makkah to be rated as five-star deluxe,” concluded Moukarzel.