Ritz-Carlton is aiming to launch a second hotel in Abu Dhabi as it prepares to open its first property in the capital.
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The 532-room Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal is expected to open at the end of this year or by early next year, said Pascal Duchauffour, the vice president of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
"We will potentially look at Abu Dhabi with a second property because we think the market is a very promising market in the long term," he said.
Mr Duchauffour said he expected the market to be challenging in the short term, however.
"Abu Dhabi is and will remain a very competitive market," he said.
Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH) is developing the first Ritz-Carlton property in the capital.
Ritz-Carlton originally had an agreement signed with Aldar to manage two hotels - one on Nareel Island, also known as Coconut Island, and another as part of Al Dana.
"Those two have not materialised and now we're focusing on the one with ADNH and we're looking at other possibilities within Abu Dhabi. We are no longer in that particular development in Abu Dhabi, Al Dana, and Coconut Island we are not," said Mr Duchauffour. The original plan for the Grand Canal hotel was to have a network of waterways - hence the name. However, Mr Duchauffour said the canal system had been taken out of the final design for the property and replaced by landscaping and greenery.
The luxury operator plans to open its first hotel in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh, next month.
The company is also keen to eventually have a hotel in Jeddah, Mr Duchauffour said. Ritz-Carlton this year took over the management from the Al Bustan Palace hotel in Muscat from InterContinental Hotels Group and is hoping to have another hotel in Oman. The Levant is another area where it wants to have a presence, Mr Duchauffour said.
"We are actively looking at Lebanon. We would like to be in Beirut." Jordan is also a possible location for a resort, he said.
Average room rates in Abu Dhabi fell to US$109.54 (Dh402.34) last month, a 16.7 per cent decline compared with August last year, according to STR Global, a research firm based in London. Occupancy levels of hotels in Abu Dhabi increased by 3.9 per cent to 49.8 per cent last month.
Tourism was depressed across the Middle East and North Africa region last month because of Ramadan and the regional unrest.
Occupancy levels in Cairo, fell 50.9 per cent to 21.8 per cent, while in Amman, Jordan, there was a 37.7 per cent drop to 28.2 per cent.
rbundhun@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 3.6 V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Power: 295bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: Dh155,000
On sale: now
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
SPECS%3A%20Polestar%203
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Company%20Profile
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Opening Premier League fixtures, August 14
- Brentford v Arsenal
- Burnley v Brighton
- Chelsea v Crystal Palace
- Everton v Southampton
- Leicester City v Wolves
- Manchester United v Leeds United
- Newcastle United v West Ham United
- Norwich City v Liverpool
- Tottenham v Manchester City
- Watford v Aston Villa
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
The%20Specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.6-litre%204-cylinder%20petrol%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E118hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20149Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Six-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh61%2C500%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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Company%20Profile
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Cricket World Cup League Two
Teams
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
Fixtures
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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