Dubai’s hospitality market is reportedly receiving a boost from different renovation projects being carried out across the country in anticipation of Expo 2020.
Speaking with Construction Week, Zander Muego, director of Thomas & Adamson, noted that the UK-based construction and property consultancy is getting an increasing number of inquiries related to the renovation of existing hotel stock in the emirate.
“[The hospitality sector] within our industry remains strong from a Dubai perspective, in particular, as a result of both new and refurbishment projects being driven by the demand that will be generated by Expo 2020,” he said.
Muego added: “We expect the trend of increasing numbers of renovation projects to continue throughout 2018, while the focus remains on progressing and completing new-build projects that are already underway.
“The big issue that we are currently exploring, at a strategic level, is the medium-term outlook for the hospitality industry and, specifically, how demand in this sector will influence construction of new hotels beyond 2020.”
Thomas & Adamson will prioritise renovation projects for the rest of 2017 and into 2018, Muego said, revealing that the company had spent the better part of the year acquiring talent.
He elaborated: “Through a number of strategic hires, we were able to increase our capacity and key skill set within the business, which means that for the remainder of this year, we can focus on [pursuing] more projects and a greater volume of work.
“Our priority, in terms of project type for 2017 and into 2018 is to capitalise on our extensive experience in delivering refurb and renovation projects, while ensuring that hotels remain operational and revenue impact is minimised wherever possible.”
Stressing that the company is aware of how disruptive renovation work can be to guest experiences, Muego said: “We take a phased approach, which enables maximum operation and minimum disruption.”
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