Region’s homegrown brands grow into a powerful force

HOMEGROWN hotel brands from across the Middle East will have a significant presence at this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, UAE. As the number of hotels in the region continues to grow unabated, so too are the number of independent hotel brands right across the region.

Established international management companies such as Hilton, InterContinental, Starwood, Hyatt, Accor and Marriott still dominate the hotel branding landscape, operating over 174 four and five-star properties between them, which represents 22 per cent of the 802 hotels located in the region.

However, an emerging trend that is certainly gathering momentum, is the creation and growth of standalone independent local brands, providing owners with an added or alternative point of distinction and therefore an additional competitive edge.

Another interesting phenomenon is the way that some of the more established homegrown hotel brands from the Middle East are not only on the rise throughout the region, but are also expanding into other markets, predominantly in Europe and Asia, with Dubai’s Jumeirah Group leading the way.

Exhibiting at ATM is a popular choice for independent local brands. First of all, it is a great networking platform for them and a cost-effective way to create brand awareness to over 21,000 industry professionals. They can showcase their brand attributes face-to-face with specific industry stakeholders as well as identifying opportunities to export their brand into new locations and markets.

Representing the region so far this year at ATM we have established independent hospitality brands such as Jumeirah, Rotana, Hospitality Management Holdings (the owner of the Coral brand), Address, TI’ME and JA, which compete comfortably with even the biggest international management brands as well as some relative newcomers.

It is worthwhile highlighting some of these brands, from humble origins to major players on a local, regional and even international scale.

Jumeirah Group, which opened its first hotel in Dubai in 1997, is moving ahead with global expansion plans with its latest signing in St Petersburg Russia. The company currently operates a total of 22 luxury hotels and serviced apartments, including 11 in the Gulf region, with a further 15 hotels under development worldwide.

ATM runs from May 5 until May 8 this year at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre

Emaar Hospitality Group, a subsidiary of Emaar properties, launched The Address Hotels + Resorts in 2008 and currently has five award-winning properties in Dubai. Rotana Hotels opened its first hotel in 1993. The Abu Dhabi headquartered company currently operates 85 four and five-star hotel and hotel apartment properties in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe with extensive expansion plans.

UAE-headquartered hospitality company TI’ME Hotels Management has recently opened the TI’ME Pearl Residence in Abu Dhabi, with a second property under construction, as well as Dubai, Doha, Luxor and Ajman, taking its total number of properties to 11.

Mohamed Awadalla, the CEO of TI’ME Hotels, keeps his business strategy simple, he commented recently that, “TI’ME is the official host hotel for GCC hosted buyers for ATM 2014. The GCC is an important market for us and our hotel and hotel apartments product mix is ideally suited to GCC travellers, whether for corporate visitors or family leisure breaks.”

Founded in 1981, JA Resorts & Hotels, includes the all-suite five-star JA Palm Tree Court and four-star JA Jebel Ali Beach Hotel within the JA Jebel Ali Golf Resort, plus two properties in Dubai Marina and a management contract for the Enchanted Island Resort in the Seychelles.

The Coral hotel brand operated by Hospitality Management Holdings has a portfolio of 20, four and five-star hotels located in Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the UAE, recently opening their first property in Muscat, Oman.

Clearly this is evidence, if it were needed, that dynamic entrepreneurship is alive and well in the regional travel and tourism industry. It will be fascinating to find out what plans these and indeed any new independent brands that may choose to launch at ATM, have planned for the rest of 2014.

ATM runs from May 5 until May 8, 2014, at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre. For visitor registration, log on to: https://secure2.eventadv.com/atm/