Over 200 general managers are expected to gather at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai tomorrow for the Hotelier Middle East Great GM Debate.
Among the sponsors of the fifth edition of the essential networking and education forum will be Unique Precise International.
CEO Vinayak Mahtani explained why the company was backing the event and discussed some challenges facing hoteliers.
Why is it important you support the Hotelier GM Debate?
It’s a great opportunity for us to meet with the General Managers in a more relaxed environment as well as engage them on a one to one basis. Hotelier GM Debate also provides us with a platform to showcase our new products and services.
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What do you think are the main challenges facing UAE hotel GMs in 2014?
The main challenge they face is increased competition; there are many new hotels opening up in 2014-2015 and the initial boom after the hard days is over. I think we are now going to enter a phase where the high increases in revpar and occupancies will be harder to earn. Double-digit growth may be a thing of the past, which means that Hotels will need to be more efficient to continue growing.
What most excites you about the UAE hotel industry in 2014?
There is huge growth potential in this region. Currently there are 80,000 rooms in UAE and this is expected to double within the next 2-3 years and reach 250,000 rooms by 2020. We are also excited by the entry of new brands into UAE.
What is your company doing to capitalise on the Dubai Expo win?
In the past six months, we have signed on two new brands to represent in the UAE: Brinkhaus, a German luxury bedding company; and Dibella, a German bed and bath linen supplier. We have recently started a projects division, which specialises in and will be responsible only for pre-openings.
Read our full preview of the Hotelier Middle East Great GM Debate 2014 HERE.
General managers wishing to register their interest in attending should contact Amanda.Elisha@itp.com.
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