SWISS Belhotel International is planning to expand further in the UAE and other GCC countries to take advantage of a steady growth in the tourism sector in the region, the group’s chairman and president Gavin Faull said.
The group has already strengthened its presence in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, and that it would push ahead with expansion in the region.The Hong Kong-based group is set to open 20 new hotels in 2015 in the Gulf and other countries of the Middle East, said the chairman.“Swiss Belhotel is one of the strongest hotel groups in some countries including China, the Philippines, Indonesia and the Far East…we found it important to take the initiative to expand in the Middle East,” he said.“Our start was in Dubai before we set off towards Saudi Arabia, specifically Riyadh…we then moved to Kuwait and Manama and Doha,” he added.He said the group’s key projects in Saudi Arabia include the operation and management of the four-star Swiss Belhotel Riyadh hotel, which comprises 126 rooms and the Swiss Belboutiqe in Riyadh in 2015.In 2015, the group intends to open Swiss Belhotel Alghabra in Muscat and Swiss Belhotel Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan, he said, adding that there are also plans to expand in other countries, including Egypt and Turkey.In a special ceremony, Faull signed an agreement with Al Jumaiah Group of Saudi Arabia to manage two hotels in Riyadh, Swiss-Belhotel Riyadh and Swiss-Belboutique Tahlia Riyadh, both expected to operate later this year.Swiss-Belhotel International has also officially opened Hotel Ciputra World Surabaya, strengthening its presence in Indonesia and adding to an award-winning global hotel management portfolio. The five-star property aims to provide balance between business and leisure next to the city’s most exclusive neighbourhood and adjacent the destination’s exclusive shopping mall, Ciputra World Surabaya.“Hotel Ciputra World Surabaya, managed by Swiss-Belhotel International is a stylish offering that sits proudly in a prominent part of the city. It provides an unmatched level of luxury, personalised service and professionalism,” Faull said. The hotel has a high-end executive lounge, eight well-appointed meeting rooms, including a ballroom catering for up to 450 people, a health club, non-smoking floors and a roof-top outdoor pool deck overlooking the city and featuring a kid’s pool and Jacuzzi.