Olivier Harnisch Olivier Harnisch

Emaar Hospitality Group chief executive officer Olivier Harnisch has said to Hotelier Middle East that there has been "tremendous interest for Rove across the GCC".

He added: "Rove has had such an impact. It’s still amazing to think that the history of the brand is less than a year. Four will be on the market very soon, and then another six will open in Dubai. It’s just amazing."

At a press conference during Arabian Travel Market, he also said that the operator is "aggressively pushing ahead" with its Rove openings in Dubai. 

He added: "I’m very optimistic about the mid-market sector because if you look at Dubai compared to other markets, there is a strong supply of upscale and luxury hotels in relation to the mid-market, so I think we’ll see a lot of activity in the mid-market sector, and there’s no reason to doubt that growth rates will continue in the long-term."

"The mid-market guest is not necessarily the guest who has less income to spend, but it’s a guest who has decided to spend a small proportion of the travel budget on hotels for whatever reason," Harnisch added.

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