During ATM 2016, taking place this week in Dubai, Movenpick Hotels and Resorts COO Andreas Mattmuller revealed the hotel brand's plans for the region.
Talking to Hotelier Middle East during ATM, Mattmuller said: “We currently operate 30 hotels in the Middle East. We have 8,500 rooms, with 8,500 employees, at a one to one ratio. We are operating in most Middle Eastern countries.”
The target up to 2020, he revealed, is to have 45 operational Movenpick hotels in the Middle East, with 11 of those new projects already signed or under construction.
Within the Middle East, Mattmuller confirmed that Movenpick expansion includes the upcoming rebranded Mövenpick Hotel Al Aziziyah Doha property in Qatar’s capital (due to launch at the beginning of next month), as well as new hotels in Dubai.
The new Dubai hotels, he told Hotelier Middle East, will include a new Movenpick hotel in Business Bay, as well as a new 280 key Movenpick residences in Business Bay, which he revealed had just been signed. A new 240 key Movenpick hotel is currently under construction near Dubai Mall, Mattmller revealed. The new 240-key Movenpick hoel in Dubai Media City, located adjacent to Sheikh Zayed Road, is also under construction, and currently expected to open in Q3 2016.
With this level of expansion in Dubai alone, and despite recent concerns in the emirate regarding the diffcult economic market, Mattmuller remained positive, offering his prediction for the future of Dubai hotels: “I think tourism is expanding on a worldwide basis. The world population is growing, and there will be more people who like to travel. Look at the expansion of airlines, not only Emirates. Every few weeks they are opening a new route. So hotel projects are definitely a long term investment.
"We have had amazing years in Dubai. The business volume is still there, but the rates came down. By 2018-9 we will see a significant upswing, due to new projects opening up."
Mattmuller cited projects such as Dubai Eye, as well as new theme parks among the projects that will draw more visitors to the emirate by 2018.
Further plans for the brand’s expansion, Mattmuller confirmed, include the new South Asia region, where Movenpick will be opening hotels in Karachi and Islamabad in Pakistan; Colombo in Sri Lanka, and Kochi in Indian, all during Q3 and Q4 of 2016.
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