After one year of operations, Aiana Hotels & Resorts has seven management contracts under its belt, with three of them on track to be completed in 2016.
Speaking to Hotelier Middle East on the sidelines of Arabian Travel Market, Aiana Hotels & Resorts LLC joint managing director and chief executive officer Amruda Nair said the market has been accepting of the new brand.
She said: "I think people recognised the fact that while we’re a new brand, it’s the concept that’s appealing. But at the same time, the team behind it is experienced and that’s what’s giving them comfort in terms of wanting to work with us.
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"We’ve been very clear about the strategy right from day one – it’s a brand with an Indian soul with a global spirit."
In 2016, the construction of the 611-key hotel in Makkah (Aiana Makkah) and the 180-key hotel serviced apartments property in Doha (Aiana Suites and Residences) will be completed. A decision has not yet been made on which one will open first - with Nair confirming they will go live by the end of the year or at the very latest, Q1 2017.
The third Aiana property set to welcome visitors in 2016 includes Aiana Munnar – A Moonriver Resort in Kerala, India.
Discussing the Doha property further, she told Hotelier Middle East: "It’s a hotel apartment which is a great business model; it’s a lot more resilient than a typical hotel would be.
"Even where there’s been a slowdown in terms of a drop in RevPAR in Doha as a market when supply has come on, the hotel apartments or serviced apartments have taken a lesser hit. The hybrid model allows for a lot of flexibility so you can cater to the changes in demand as well."
The next steps for Aiana, Nair confirmed, would be to look at properties in the UAE and Oman, adding that "they would be natural extensions because of the sheer number of Indian travellers coming to both these countries".
In March 2015, Qatar’s Al Sawari Holding and Indian hospitality company Aiana Hotels & Resorts LLC signed a joint venture agreement to create Aiana Hotels & Resort, a global hotel management company.
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