GM interview: Ismail Sirry

While the Middle East has had a challenging Q2 2016 in terms of occupancy, ADR and RevPAR, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia witnessed a double-digit rise in ADR (+14.2% to SAR 816.60) which drove a double-digit increase in RevPAR (+13.6% to SAR 528.86), revealed data from STR.

A strong performance during Ramadan resulted in the absolute ADR and RevPAR levels being the highest ever on record for a second quarter in Saudi Arabia. ADR in June was up 40.7% to SAR 1,239.28, and RevPAR increased 44.4% to SAR 780.27.

STR analysts also note that the twin cities of Makkah and Madinah were the only two major hotel markets in the Middle East to experience year-over-year RevPAR growth during Ramadan.

And it is in this positive environment that the Conrad Makkah opened its doors on June 7 this year.

Its general manager Ismail Sirry, who has 43 years of experience under his belt, is confident that his hotel will play a part in a continued success story for the market.

One of the property’s USPs, he confirms, is the fact that it offers direct access to the Al Haram via 12 elevators, along with an on-site mosque for up to 1,000 guests with audio connection to Al Haram.

Sirry tells Hotelier the property has a lot to offer its guests: “We are opening luxury in Makkah, with a really unique positioning and the area itself is in the heart of Makkah. The hotel overlooks Al Haram, with 438 luxurious rooms including two Royal Suites.”

He adds: “We have five executive floors with an executive lounge service and butler service, and our standard room is 56m2, which is considered the largest you can find in Makkah.”

The 438-room hotel with 62 suites is located in the Jabal Omar development, which Sirry reveals has great accessibility due to a private entrance for the entire development. He also reckons the direct access to Al-Haram is a massive plus for the pilgrims.

Conrad Makkah will also offer the Conrad 1/3/5 programme, which is Conrad’s way of allowing guests to discover local culture from an insider’s perspective. Sirry says: “I think we are the only hotel that offers sightseeing in Makkah. We have included this in the menus of the suites: a daily sightseeing package for all the holy places in Makkah. That’s a new service that no hotel has provided before.”

In addition to the city’s well known historical sites, such as the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba, there are significant pipeline projects in Islamic arts and culture, including the recently announced 5,600m2 Makkah Museum to explore.

Sirry boarded the project just over a year ago, and says that one the biggest challenges was around recruitment. However, he acknowledges that being part of Hilton Worldwide helped, with the operator having different hotels around the Kingdom. He says: “We have the support from all our sister hotels in bringing well-trained team members. It makes things much, much easier.”

Now, Sirry reveals, the hotel has reached the level of 45% Saudisation — an impressive number. He says: “We are getting a lot of Saudi talent, not necessarily experienced but we have a very strong programme for developing these talents.

“We believe that we have a real talented team that will develop within the coming two or three years and will help us in our new projects — because we are working on new projects and opening hotels every year. That’s why we started a very aggressive and strong development programme for Saudi talent.”

He notes that the only other challenge was related to obtaining the licences and ratings on time, and he comments: “Alhamdullilah, we found big support from the Saudi government as they are looking to emphasise religious tourism.”

As he says, the government is working to enhance the umrah and hajj experience for pilgrims. According to Colliers International’s Q1 2016 Saudi Arabia Report, Makkah will see a growing hotel supply through 2018, and figures from Saudi Vision 2030 reveal that in the last decade, the number of umrah visitors entering the country from abroad tripled, reaching eight million people. The government has plans to increase the number of umrah pilgrims to 15 million by 2020, and 30 million by 2030.

Sirry continues to explain some of the initiatives and campaigns being created by the government. He says: “With the new project of Al Haram, the extension is really unbelievable. The facilities that they are giving, such as the development of the Haramain High Speed Railway and the Makkah Mass Rail Transit System, and encouraging the increase of the number of visas [is positive].

“We believe that every year we will have a real increase in the market, especially during umrah and hajj. The figures are extremely positive and we are seeing a real increase in demand. I believe the Kingdom is very well prepared for the numbers that are expected.”

And Sirry should know. After starting his career with Sheraton Hotels in 1973, Conrad Makkah marks his fifteenth hotel opening and his fourth in Saudi Arabia. With his experienced hands, he’s determined to take the Conrad Makkah to the city’s heights.