Grand Hyatt’s Franzen said new and increased competition had the benefit of “increasing the service benchmark”.
“We already have the advantage of name recognition in the market, we already have a good base of guests who use us; these are all things the competition that opens will have to work on,” he said.
When asked whether the pipeline was daunting, he added: “I worked in Dubai 15 years ago; at the time we had a handful of five-star hotels and everyone asked the same question you are asking now about Doha. If we are able to make Doha into a destination where leisure and business mix, along with conferences and connections to Europe and Asia, I see no reason why the city should not succeed.
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“To give you an example, just putting a branded restaurant in a hotel does not guarantee success; the service delivery and quality need to be there. The value-for-money needs to be there. Otherwise guests will not return.
“The new hotels, without a doubt, will offer fantastic hardware in terms of rooms and facilities. Every new hotel will help in spreading the marketing message for the destination as they will have to market themselves in the city and overseas. This in turn helps others as well!”
Franzen also pointed out the need for hotels to cater to the requirements of Qatar residents.
“We want to recognise Doha residents better and offer them great deals all year round. We are just launching our Grand Privilege membership programme, offering anyone living in the country great deals in our rooms and outlets,” he revealed.
“We need to have close ties with the residents of the city and engage them to ensure we are their property of choice for certain services. I do not think we are a hotel that can cater to every taste; but the segment we are catering to needs to be served well.
I also believe that any hotel needs to offer value-for-money, if you are perceived as being too expensive, true or not, guests will not even frequent you. To give you one example, we have been able to increase our spa revenues by 26% last year by changing our focus,” he added.
Another topic expected to be raised at the Summit is the perception of Qatar overseas as global media coverage focuses on development in various industries ahead of World Cup 2022.
Franzen said he hoped the current vision from Qatar Tourism Authority would be implemented by all parties.
He added: “As a country, I would probably look at my communication and marketing strategy and ensure each market is served through a professional communication agency in the respective countries.” Hewett said hotels also had a role to play in destination marketing.
“Hoteliers are ambassadors not only for their respective hotels, but also for the city in which they operate. The encounters a tourist experiences during their visit will have a greater impact on shaping their perception than any media piece or publication. Therefore, hoteliers must ensure that each member of their team strives to embrace and promote the positive attributes of the destination.”
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