Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has announced its fourth property in the Middle East. The 300-room Fairmont Amman will open its doors in 2014. In 2012, the brand will also debut in three new markets in the first half of the year with the Fairmont Jaipur in India, Fairmont Grand Hotel Kyiv in Ukraine, and Fairmont Baku in Azerbaijan. In total, the luxury hotel operator will open five hotel projects, representing more than 1,300 guestrooms in 2012.
“It has been a strong year for Fairmont in the UAE with our two properties witnessing 11 per cent year-on-year growth. GCC tourists continued to travel during the summer months and the UAE benefited as tourists chose the country over hotspots like Egypt, Tunisia and Syria, and this largely contributed to our high occupancies,” Raki Phillips, area director for sales and marketing for the UAE, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.
Occupancy levels in Egypt, where Fairmont operates two hotels, are unlikely to return to 2010 levels but Philips says that this would depend largely on the upcoming elections. “We are seeing travellers revisiting Egypt, but it will be at least another year before we see those same levels of occupancy as 2010,” he adds.
Also in the pipeline for Fairmont hotels; expected to open later in 2012 is the 300-room Fairmont Makati, Philippines and the 372-room Fairmont Palm Jumeirah on Dubai’s The Palm, Jumeirah. Looking beyond 2012, Fairmont is also working on a number of exciting hotel development projects in markets like Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Fujairah, and China and remains focused on international expansion with brand growth targeted for key markets in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
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Phillips… Fairmont will be going greener as it expands with new properties such as the Fairmont Abu Dhabi Creek (above) |
“Another key initiative for Fairmont will be our Green Partnership programme. We have pledged to reduce our operational CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2013, and remain the world’s first luxury hotel group to commit to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG),” says Phillips.
Fairmont is keen to redefine their guest experience and has launched a new campaign to entice more visitors to join their 50,000-member strong Fairmont President’s Club – the brand’s complimentary guest loyalty program – with a tailored offer for the region. Members of the Fairmont President’s Club can now update their member profiles to reflect a number of interest-based themes - Food & Drink, Arts & Entertainment, Sports & Adventure, Spa & Fitness, and Leadership & Philanthropy - with custom offers and experiences being marketed to each respective group. Not only does the program track individual guest preferences across the brand, members will also have access to amenities that can enhance their stay such as private check-in and check-out, complimentary high-speed internet access, health club access, and complimentary use of TaylorMade golf clubs. Additionally, a popular member benefit is ‘Great Rates-Great Dates’ email promotions, which will highlight monthly offers from some of the brand’s most sought after destinations.