New HMH hotel targets corporate, leisure visitors

Hospitality Management Holdings (HMH), a UAE-based operator of hotels and resorts, said its new property in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, will welcome guests tomorrow, marking the soft opening of the group's 13th hotel in the kingdom. The 153-room hotel is located in the Aramco district of Dhahran, adjacent to two of its principal malls and in the heart of the central business district, making the Coral Dhahran an ideal address for both corporate and leisure visitors. Michel Noblet, HMH President and CEO, said the group is now positioned to offer a network of accommodation options throughout Saudi Arabia, addressing the needs of both domestic and international travellers as well as those pursuing business and government interests around the country. "With the launch of the flagship Coral Hotel Dhahran, we now have eight Coral hotels there, as well as our EWA Hotel Apartments and Corp Executive Hotel brands — and Saudi Arabia can lay claim to hosting nearly 40 per cent of our total inventory following the opening of our first hotel there just five years ago," he said. In the Eastern Province, a key location for the global oil sector, the new Coral Hotel Dhahran has been designed as a grand hotel suitable to host any event from a major corporate conference to a local wedding of prominent people, while offering visitors superior accommodation standards. "There is a strong government focus on both business and leisure tourism," reported Noblet. "The strategy to break in to the meetings and exhibitions market will benefit all hotel operators as the kingdom looks to play host to large numbers of events, while the new SCTA hotel classification system has supported demand for quality accommodation." The new hotel is expected to help meet the growing demand for hotels in the region. Figures from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities suggested hotel numbers have increased 172 per cent in the past 10 years, with an anticipated requirement for a growth of 83 per cent or 230,000 hotel rooms to support the official ambition to quadruple visitor numbers from 22 million to 88 million annually. Yousuf Wahbah, Mena Head of Transaction Real Estate, Ernst & Young said: "An analysis of the year to date and monthly performance numbers for hotels in the Mena region point to a continued realignment in the regional hospitality market caused by three key developments. "These are: changes in the political landscape, increased availability of rooms due to new builds coming on to the market and an overall shift in tourist demography." Ladies only floor The hotel features in-room amenities from flat-screen TVs and free high-speed internet connections to wi-fi to terry-cloth robes and free tea- and coffee-making facilities, plus restaurant, meeting and leisure facilities to cater for every requirement. "In addition to king, twin and suite accommodation, we have 25 rooms and suites on a dedicated ladies-only floor," said General Manager Rushdi Al Ashkar. "Female guests have access to a separate check-in and check-out desk plus their own lounge. In addition to the privacy and security this offers, all rooms come complete with luxury amenities — and as a final bonus, there is a well-equipped ladies gym."