Alex Kyriakidis discusses key travel trends and his hero hotel openings for the coming year in an exclusive Q&A with Hotelier Middle East.
1. Which hotels do you expect to open in the Middle East in 2014?
- 83-unit Residence Inn by Marriott Jazan, KSA
- 540-room Makkah Marriott Hotel, KSA
- 352-room Dubai Marriott Hotel Al Jaddaf, UAE
- 128-room Marriott Executive Apartments Dubai Al Jaddaf, UAE
- 1608-room JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, UAE (first tower consisting of 804 rooms opened in 2012; second tower of 804 rooms planned to open in 2014)
- 195-room Courtyard by Marriott Abu Dhabi Central Market, UAE
- 315-room Abu Dhabi Marriott Hotel, UAE
- 64-unit Marriott Executive Apartments Abu Dhabi, UAE
2. In total, how many rooms do these hotels comprise?
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2481 rooms
3. What is your hero hotel opening in 2014 and why?
- Dubai Marriott Hotel Al Jaddaf in the UAE, which will be opening in January, will be our first Marriott Hotel property that is opening following the new brand standards that have been rolling out during 2013
- 2nd tower of the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, completing the hotel’s offering of 1608 rooms that are integral to the MICE industry
- Residence Inn by Marriott Jazan is our first Residence Inn in KSA and 2nd in the region
- Makkah Marriott Hotel is our first hotel in Makkah, KSA
- Abu Dhabi hotels are our first Marriott-endorsed properties in the capital
4. To meet the needs of your upcoming pipeline, how many staff will you be looking to recruit in 2014?
Over the next 5 years, with our robust pipeline across the Middle East and Africa of 47 planned properties to open by 2018, we are aiming to hire around 12,000 associates
5. How can the hotel industry best entice new, young talent?
At Marriott International we believe it is important to have training schemes in place to attract fresh talent and reassure them that your company is the right place for them to develop and grown in to skilled professionals. It is important to become recognised and known for training efforts and schemes so that candidates feel encouraged to apply to work at your company. For example, Marriott International is one of the most highly awarded hospitality companies when it comes to ‘best places to work’ and by default this helps us attract a high caliber of talent when recruiting for roles.
The Marriott International training scheme which I am most proud of is The Voyage Global Leadership Development Programme. This has been designed to encourage university graduates to join the Marriott family as part of a 12 month training programme which provides them with the opportunity to be immersed in a single property and specialise in anything from accounting to culinary to engineering.
6. The rejuvenation of hotel F&B has been a hot topic in 2013, with some hotels restructuring F&B management, hiring at the corporate level, etc. What is your approach to reinvigorating F&B in 2014?
We are studying expectations from the Millennial consumer and what changes we need to do in F&B in the long term, such as moving to more affiliations with celebrity Chefs, and developing designs, décor and menus that are more approachable, space that allows for comfortable socialization between our guests
7. What are the key travel trends you are seeing emerge?
- Extended stay: As regional economies continue to grow we are seeing an influx of short and long term business travelers. As a result there is a greater requirement for extended stay facilities. Marriott International has a number of brands under our portfolio which caters to this sector including Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn, both of which have a strong presence regionally. What make these properties extended stay friendly are the facilities available including; self-catering, extensive business amenities and home comforts which mean the properties act as temporary home away from home for guests.
- Mobility: Smartphones have become central to our lives and are integral to our business and social needs. According to GroupM Next*, 57 percent of business travellers aged 21-39 use their smartphone to book a hotel, representing a growing hospitality trend.
In order to meet customer needs and as a result of our increased reliance of smart device Marriott International has launched a mobile check-in application available at 20 Marriott hotels* in 19 countries including United Kingdom, Mexico, United Arab Emirates and India.
First launched at 329 hotels in the U.S. and Canada, the mobile check-in feature on the Marriott Mobile App has expanded internationally, representing the broadest mobile offering of its kind in the lodging industry. In our region, we have launched this in 3 of our hotels, namely Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel and Suites, Jeddah Marriott Hotel and Amman Marriott Hotel. By the end of 2014, our aim to have this rolled out in all of our Marriott hotels.
- Customer loyalty: Marriott Rewards is Marriott International’s loyalty programme. It awards travelers their choice of frequent flyer miles or points toward free vacations and merchandise across Marriott hotels worldwide. In the Middle East and Africa, Marriott Rewards has partnered with Saudia Airlines, allowing Marriott Rewards members traveling throughout the Middle East to earn Saudia Airlines’ Alfursan Reward Miles for stays at more than 3,700 Marriott International hotels in 70 countries across 14 distinctive brands. Marriott Rewards points can also be redeemed for Alfursan Reward Miles.
8. What are you doing to target new markets such as the BRIC market and Generation Y travellers?
We are implementing new strategies and programmes across all our brands, but this is being spearheaded by our Marriott Hotels brand. This includes mobility, new technology such as online check-in, the Great Room concept that creates that social hub in hotel lobbies where guests can dial up or dial down between work and play. We also have the F&B concepts mentioned earlier.
9. With smartphones and tablets becoming key customer service tools, what mobile services are you providing for guests?
Mobile check in will be available at all our Marriott hotels in 2014 and we have just rolled out the service out at; Amman Marriott Hotel, Cairo Marriott Hotel and Jeddah Marriott Hotel.
10. Where in the GCC do you see scope for diversification of the market and how are you targeting price-conscious customers?
Marriott International always delivers exceptional service and value for money, and as we have a variety of brands in the Middle East, our guests can choose whichever brand of hotel best fits their needs. JW Marriott is our most elegant and luxurious brand, while Courtyard by Marriott is the brand that forever changed the hotel industry by pioneering the upper moderate tier of the hospitality industry in 1983, and now, 30 years later, has nearly 1,000 hotels in 38 countries.
11. What is your vision for 2014?
Our vision is for continued growth and expansion.
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