YEAR 2013 had been significant for FRHI Hotels & Resorts with a good year in performance, and also a rebranding exercise.
Sami Nasser, senior vice president operations, Middle East, Africa and India, says: “As part of the rebranding exercise, our company also moved to a regional structure that we feel positions us to better support our brands and hotels. Obviously, there were a few short term growing pains as we moved to this new business model, but our new teams are now in place and are ready to hit the ground running in 2014.
“Within our International division we now have a regional team focused on the Middle EaSt We’ve almost doubled our regional headcount and have staffed up our Dubai Regional Office with experienced and knowledgeable in-market resources.”
FRHI Hotels and Resorts currently manage 19 properties in the Middle East, Africa and India and the development team is working to aggressively grow its presence in these markets. Nasser says: “Taking a global view, expansion is a key component of our long term strategic objectives, and FRHI is projecting 50 per cent growth over the next five years.”
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Fairmont Hotels and Resorts will open three properties in the Middle East this year – two in the UAE and one in Saudi Arabia. Fairmont Ajman is expected to open in summer, while the Fairmont Fujairah property is expected to open in the last quarter of 2014. Fairmont Riyadh is scheduled for the third quarter of 2014.
Fairmont Riyadh, Business Gate in Saudi Arabia will be part of a new mixed-use development project comprising the hotel, a convention centre and commercial real estate space that will house multinational corporations as well as regional companies. The hotel will feature 287 guestrooms, including Fairmont Gold, the brand’s exclusive hotel within a hotel offering.
Fairmont Ajman, UAE will be situated on the Corniche and will feature 252 guestrooms and suites, including two penthouses. The hotel will also offer 2,000 sq m of indoor function space as well as outdoor facilities.
Located on the east coast of the UAE and views of the Gulf of Oman, and Hajar Mountains, the Fairmont Fujairah will consist of a 194-room hotel with 13 branded residences, meeting facilities, a Willow Stream Spa and a marina.
FRHI Hotels and Resorts (FRHI) is a leading luxury hotel management company that operates more than 105 hotels globally under the Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel brands.
Positioned in the luxury and upper upscale tiers, each of the company’s three leading brands features its own distinct personality. Notable names include Raffles Dubai, Raffles Singapore, Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris, Shanghai’s Fairmont Peace Hotel, The Plaza in New York, London’s The Savoy, Swissôtel The Bosphorus, Swissôtel Krasnye Holmy Moscow and Swissôtel Tallinn.
FRHI is projecting 50 per cent growth over the next five years. Recently, the portfolio welcomed Raffles Makati in Manila, Fairmont Baku in Azerbaijan, and Swissôtel Makkah. With a robust expansion plan in place, FRHI is also developing hotel and mixed-use projects in China, Russia, India, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, among others. The company also manages Fairmont and Raffles branded estates and luxury private residence club properties.