The Middle East is putting Europe in the shade when it comes to building big hotels.
The current crop of hotels being built in the region have on average 50 per cent more rooms than those being developed in Europe, latest industry figures show.
According to data released from the consultancy STR Global, the July pipeline in Europe comprises 813 hotels with 133,797 rooms, or an average of 165 rooms per hotel while in Middle East and Africa there are plans for 485 hotels with 118,535 rooms, or 244 rooms on average.
"This is typical in [European] cities which are already saturated and land values are expensive so the correspondingly smaller plots can only support smaller properties," said John Podaras, an independent consultant in Dubai. "Europe's growth in this sector is likely to derive mostly from the eastern European countries which are, or at least were, until the financial crisis hit, going through similar growth spurts as in the Middle East."
In Europe, Istanbul's horizon is the busiest followed by London, Berlin, Moscow, Amsterdam, Vienna and Madrid.
The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has 18 hotels in the Emirates with more than 5,000 rooms, and seven more properties in the pipeline.
"Our current pipeline in the UAE is weighted towards luxury and upper upscale brands - InterContinental Hotels, Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites - in line with the region's continued preference for luxury travel experiences," said Pascal Gauvin, the chief operating officer for India, Middle East and Africa for IHG. "Europe, on the other hand, has more demand in the mid-scale segment. Having said that, we have seen increasing demand for our mid-scale brands in the Middle East."
IHG regional properties slated to open this year are in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, with five for 2014 in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The InterContinental Dubai Marina will open next year. There are two more InterContinental properties, three Staybridge Suites properties and the UAE's first Crowne Plaza Resort in Ras Al Khaimah in the pipeline.
There were 114 hotels under construction or in planning for the UAE as of July, according to STR Global.
Overall in the Middle East and Africa, the highest growth is in Oman, with 4,577 rooms in development. It is followed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and Jordan.
"North Africa and the Levant will unfortunately be heavily influenced by unrest and is highly unlikely to recover before a good five years have elapsed from the cessation of hostilities," Mr Podaras said.
In the UAE, 32,261 rooms are under construction or planned.
In Abu Dhabi, there are 15 hotels under construction and 11 more in the pipeline, according to STR Global. There is an existing supply of more than 20,000 rooms and 6,800 in the pipeline in the capital.
The average daily room rate in June in Abu Dhabi was Dh421.49, a decline of 3.9 per cent over May, with the revenue per available room standing at Dh251.42. STR Global data shows average daily room rates were the highest this year in February at Dh726.
"No doubt the increase in capacity at the airport and Etihad when the new Midfield Terminal is delivered will assist, although the key demand driver of exhibitions and conferences will also need a boost," Mr Podaras said.
In Dubai, the demand continues to increase the number of hotels with the property developer Emaar, for example, announcing its own brand of budget hotels last month.
"The Dubai pipeline currently represents a growth in hotel rooms of approximately 7 per cent annually, a rate which is likely to continue," Mr Podaras said. "A potential slew of new or resurrected projects being announced in the near future could well result in a flattening of the revpar [revenue per available room] growth two to three years from now as the new supply begins to be delivered."
Outside Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the hotel industry in the rest of the country is still in its infancy and the pipeline in emirates such as Ras Al Khaimah will impact overall revenue per available room there, he said.
Rixos Bab Al Bahr in Ras Al Khaimah with around 600 rooms is expected to open its doors in February.
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How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Gurm, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Al Nafece, Al Muatasm Al Balushi, Mohammed Ramadan
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adrie de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Ottoman, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Liwa Oasis – Group 2 (PA) 300,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeemat Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ganbaru, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
West Asia Premiership
Thursday
Jebel Ali Dragons 13-34 Dubai Exiles
Friday
Dubai Knights Eagles 16-27 Dubai Tigers
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
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Company%20Profile
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The five pillars of Islam
What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
BABYLON
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners