With Hilton working on brand presence, another challenge for the hotels in the complex, especially for Habtoor Palace, has been diversifying the source markets and the segments.
“The traditional market for Habtoor Palace in the last two years was mainly from the GCC. Now we are trying to expand to some of the other source markets. We are also focusing on emerging markets like India and China, as well as CIS. We are also working with Hilton Worldwide on a more strategic partnership to attract guests from Latin America as stopover tourists in Dubai,” Maatouk notes.
While Habtoor Palace is set on welcoming the luxury segment, the hotel is in close proximity to its two other five-star sister hotels, with the complex collectively offering more than 1,600 rooms. Asked if this poses a competition issue, Maatouk says the three brands offers very different guest experiences and instead “complement each other”.
He says: “I don’t think we are in competition. I think each of the three hotels have their own identity with their own target segments. As a matter of fact, I think we complement each other. Guests at Habtoor Palace will have a luxurious experience, while also having complete access to the entire complex,” he points out, referring to the 27 restaurants and lounges at the Al Habtoor City complex, two spas with 35 treatments rooms, several meeting spaces, three ballrooms and the Le Perle by Dragone show located inside the V Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton.
| Advertisement |
“My leadership philosophy is simple: I’ll take care of my 400 staff members and they will in turn take care of the guests to provide the luxury experience they deserve when they come to Habtoor Palace. I want to be on the floor with them, escort guests and also welcome them. That’s the only way I know to do it,” he explains. “LXR Hotels & Resorts comes into the picture within the umbrella of the experience and will help market the property to the luxury segments we want to attract.”
However, Maatouk says he is realistic and acknowledges the challenges that may lie ahead in the immediate future.
“Moving forward, we are getting connected with all the accounts and all the guests we are conducting business with. Our goal is to increase our market share day-after-day in the region.
“This is normal and we are going through a very positive phase now where we are ramping up for the business especially with the new season. I think figures look very positive. We are just going to keep pushing for a fair market share and increase it, year after year,” he concludes.