YEAR 2003
How the chain performed: 2003 was a very strong year for Jumeirah International despite a softening in occupancy levels during the period of the Iraq war.
The past 12 months have seen an overall increase in occupancy levels as well as an increase in average rate for most of our hotels in Dubai, says Bill Walshe, corporate director of sales and marketing for Jumeirah International.
YEAR 2004
Expansion plans: 2004 will see the opening of the next phases of Madinat Jumeirah, The Arabian Resort Dubai, following the successful opening of Mina A’ Salam in September last year as the Gateway to Madinat Jumeirah.
Strategy in the face of competition: We think that 2004 will be a year in which hoteliers in Dubai will focus on growing yield, and will be able to do so as a result of increasing demand for Dubai as a destination.
Is Jumeirah International bullish about 2004 and, if yes, why? We expect that 2004 will be yet another successful year for Dubai and Jumeirah International and the projected occupancy and rates look very healthy. 2003 was a very busy year for the Jumeirah International hotels with several highs including the DSF, The Dubai World Cup, the 2003 World Bank IMF Annual Meetings in September and most recently the Dubai Air Show.
What guests can look forward to: 2004 for Jumeirah International will focus on the successful opening of the next phases of Madinat Jumeirah, The Arabian Resort of Dubai, which is the most significant resort development the international hospitality scene has seen over the last 25 years.