Hilton Egypt targets the GCC

Hilton Egypt is introducing a series of value-adds that will make its properties more attractive to GCC guests this summer. 

By introducing a number of basic initiatives, the company has positioned itself to fully cater to the specific demands of regional travellers, explained Azza Serry, regional director of business development, Hilton Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Africa.

“We want to drive summer holidays to Cairo and our resorts. Summer is very important for us. Egypt competes with a number of destinations in Europe and the Middle East and the GCC is a market we really depend on,” she said. 

The company has pinpointed nine hotels out of its Egyptian portfolio of 16 that are particularly suited to regional tastes. “We’ve taken nine of our hotels that are focused on GCC business and worked with them to provide special services for this market. 

“This is a market that stays longer than the European and UK markets. They spend most of their time within the hotel so we need to be ready with our entertainment and food and beverage offering. They spend longer awake at night, so we have to be awake with them until the early hours of the morning. Obviously, they then wake up a little later, so we need to be offering breakfast when they wake up,” Serry explained.

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In response, all participating hotels will serve breakfast until three o’clock in the afternoon and offer a room service breakfast option. 

As a further value-add, the company will offer a meet and greet service at no extra charge. “We decided that we were going to go to the airport and actually meet and greet our GCC guests as they step off their plane. We provide a transfer within the price that they buy at. This is a great component for a Cairo landing.

“They also love to shop. We’ve got a shopping mall right in front of our hotels in Cairo, so we went in there and got some discounts organised. They are eligible for those simply because they are staying with us and come from this market,” she said.

“So far, and with all the market intelligence that we are doing, we have found that we are the only chain that is coming out and giving this market all these services within the price that they buy us at today.

“This year we are going the extra mile. We recognise that the world is suffering and the GCC is not much different. Everyone is trying to stretch their dollar and that’s what we are trying to do. We are making it really hassle free simple because you book with Hilton,” she concluded.