Rotana to invest Dh2.75b in hotel expansion this year

Abu Dhabi-based Rotana Hotels and Resorts said it will embark on a $750 million (Dh2.75 billion) investment programme. Rotana will open seven new hotels this year including its first properties in Bahrain and Jordan and its second hotel in Qatar and will expand its portfolio in the UAE with four more hotels. The expansion will result in Rotana managing around 14,000 rooms across its properties by the end of this year. Rotana also expects a 6 per cent increase in occupancy rates across its portfolio of hotels in the region over 2011. Article continues below Rotana has 43 hotels and resorts in 14 countries. It plans to increase the number of properties to 70 in the next few years. Selim Al Zyr, President and CEO, said: "The last year has seen the hospitality industry in the Middle East and Africa registering positive growth despite several challenging econ-omic and political factors." He said his company's hotels in Syria and Egypt have been affected by the unrest in those countries. "We are hoping that the political situation will soon settle down. Airlines from the UK and the traditional European feeder markets to Sharm and Hurghada have planned an increase in their flights as of Dec-ember. "We expect that as general business conditions improve in these countries and indeed right across the Middle East and Africa, so will the opportunities for hospitality, and Rotana is adding several new destinations to our offering — in Jordan, Oman and Bahrain." Recent figures from the survey of full-service hotels by Hotels TRI Hospitality Consulting show a robust and growing Middle East hospitality sector. Abu Dhabi reported a surge in occupancy in October while hotels in Dubai were as full as they were in 2007. Abu Dhabi registered the largest increase in occupancy in the region, growing 9.7 percentage points to 82.8 per cent in October 2011 and moving closer to Dubai where occupancy increased to 87.3 per cent during the month. Welcome development Rotana will require more than 3,000 new employees to support its growth targets, a welcome development for an industry hit by substantial layoffs as a result of the global downturn. "Despite the generally gloomy global outlook, Rotana is proud to be growing and expanding. "We believe our growth is supported by our commitment to keep evolving our products in line with travel trends and guest preferences, and one of the key areas for growth that we are currently addressing is the mid-tier market, for which we developed the Centro Hotels by Rotana brand."