Action Hotels founder and chairman His Excellency Sheikh Mubarak A M Al Sabah receives the Industry Pioneer award, for trailblazing development of the Middle East's mid-market hotel sector, from His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum at the 2017 Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) in Dubai.
Action Hotels founder and chairman His Excellency Sheikh Mubarak A M Al Sabah was hailed by the Middle East's hospitality industry sector with the Industry Pioneer award, which was presented by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum during the 2017 Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai.
The award was presented in recognition of Sheikh Mubarak's trailblazing development of the mid-market and mid-economy hotel sector in the Middle East. As early as 2004, when the main development activity region-wide was in the five-star and luxury tiers, he had already recognised the opportunity to open the three- and four-star hotel segment.
“It’s my great privilege to accept this prestigious Industry Pioneer award from His Highness Sheikh Ahmed voted by the industry.This recognises more than 10 years since we identified a material gap in the Middle East’s hotel market when there were very few, if any, branded three- and four-star hotels in the prime cities across the Middle East. At the same time, with the growth of intra-regional travel and the proliferation of budget airlines, I believed there was an opportunity to develop this segment of hotels across our region,” he said.
Action Hotels PLC was established by Sheikh Mubarak in 2005 to spearhead the development of economy and mid-market hotels in the Middle East and in Australia. The company’s portfolio now consists of 2,181 rooms in 12 operating hotels, of which nine are in the Middle East and three in Australia. Pipeline comprises an additional six hotels, which will bring the portfolio to 18 hotels with over 3,100 rooms in eight countries by 2018.
“We are delighted that AHIC has seen the importance of this sector within the hotel industry and this year’s theme, “Catalysts of Change”, highlights the significance and growth of the region’s economy and mid-market hospitality sector,” observed Sheikh Mubarak.
“We are passionate about what we do and this is the reason why, with my team, we continue to commit time, energy, resources and investment to further growth. This Industry Pioneer Award underpins our strategy and acknowledges our team at Action Hotels PLC, who have worked and continue to work tirelessly to grow this sector,” he said.
Dubai-based Action Hotels is the only Kuwaiti company and the only hospitality company in the region to be listed on the London Stock Exchange and regulated by the Dubai International Financial Centre. AHIC’s advisory board consists of hotel owners, investors, operators and consultants who submitted their votes for the award.
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