Trends in a trendy city

Both external and internal changes have brought about new trends across the emirate. Leisure tourism is on the rise and hotels and serviced apartments have experienced a steep increase in leisure guests in the last few years, according to Sona.

“With the opening of the Dubai Parks and Resorts, IMG World of Adventures and some upcoming developments such as Bluewaters, this trend is expected to continue and hospitality establishments will have to cater to the needs and preferences of this important segment,” he adds.

Dubai is becoming increasingly family friendly and the mid-market segment will be required to cater to the more price-sensitive demand, Dhugga says.

“Another emerging trend, and certainly a very positive and welcome one, is the strong demand from the Chinese market, especially after the removal of visa restrictions for Chinese customers travelling to Dubai,” she continues. “The emirate is also witnessing a surge in Russian tourists thanks to a recovery in the value of the Russian rouble.”

Jagersbacher agrees, but adds that while the growth of mid-market has been a recent ‘hot topic’ of the hospitality industry, “we expect a continued increase in the number of guests seeking mid-market hotel options this year”.

Hilton now has six Hilton Garden Inn properties and will launch Hampton by Hilton in the region in 2018 with the opening of Hampton by Hilton Dubai Al Qusais, the brand’s largest property under development in the world.

He adds: “Our mid-market pipeline in the Middle East & Africa now includes more than 35 hotels under either our Hilton Garden Inn or Hampton by Hilton brands. In addition, Turkey represents a major opportunity for us with 14 mid-market properties in the pipeline.”

TRI’s Hewett says the company has seen, from a development perspective, investors “shift away from the traditional hotel operators towards more unique and immersive styles of brands and management”.

“Dubai is reaching a saturation point with mainstay hotel brands and as the market matures and owners increase their knowledge and understanding of the industry, this emergence will continue and Dubai will witness an increasing number of truly unique hotels providing individualised hospitality,” he explains.

Aside from new trends, there have also been a wealth of new operators in Dubai, Dhugga flagging Bulgari, Langham, Paramount, Viceroy and “of course, Dukes Dubai”.

“The region’s fundamentals are strong, making it an attractive investment destination and the Dubai Government provides great confidence as it continues to invest in infrastructure and tourism,” she explains. “Landmark projects such as Dubai Safari Park, Dubai Creek, the Dubai Eye and the 20 million square foot Dubai Harbour project, will also help drive tourism numbers.”

Dubai has crossed the 100,000 keys mark and joined a select group of cities (globally) with this kind of a supply, so it is natural that most hotel operators and brands want to have their presence in the city, Sona says.

“Furthermore, as developers continue to increase the hotel stock and raise the bar with unique concepts and hospitality offerings, there is natural shift to new, differentiated and innovative labels and brands, for example, Nikki Beach, Bulgari Hotels, Lapita (Dubai Parks), Langham Hotels and home-grown brands like Rove Hotels,” he adds.

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