Regional issues and lower rates in Dubai have impacted first quarter results at Novotel Abu Dhabi Al Bustan, according to general manager Bruno Debray.
While local and regional issues are reported to have impacted overall performance at Novotel Abu Dhabi Al Bustan, food and beverage has been strong thanks to effective use of social media and e-marketing, said general manager Bruno Debray in an interview with Hotelier Middle East.
“Last year was our first full year in operation, it was great, though Q1 of 2016 has presented some challenges; the market has been affected by regional issues, and Dubai affects us too – we are linked to each other, so what happens in Dubai impacts us – if they lower their prices, we feel it here,” said Debray.
Q1 of this year saw above 75% occupancy and with the changing seasons Q2 is projected to have 70% occupancy.
“We focussed on e-marketing as a solution to drive occupancy, we are lucky at Novotel to belong to a big group like Accor – being in a big network gives you good exposure, but you have to work on marketing – simply uploading photos to a website is no longer enough – you need dedicated people to monitor this.”
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“Social media is good for the hotel, but it is most efficient for food and beverage – it is the local market and domestic market this appeals too, but not necessarily for rooms.”
“Those who live near our property in Abu Dhabi don’t always need rooms – unless they have visitors arriving – but they themselves go out for dining; therefore social media works well in attracting them to us.”
Debray commented on the potential growth of the mid-market sector saying: “The mid-market is a good market – especially in Abu Dhabi. Ten years ago everyone wanted five-star luxury – but now we need mid-scale – this market is growing – and in a maturing region we see an enhancing of mid-scale demand.”
As the mid-scale hotel brand within the Accor group portfolio, Novotel offers close to 400 hotels and resorts in 60 countries - Novotel Abu Dhabi Al Bustan opened two years ago.
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