Billion dollar blitz on hotel kitchens
Hotel owners and operators across the Arabian Gulf are expected to spend a total of more than US $1.25 billion this year and next on kitchens and laundries for new properties, according to details of a Proleads study.
The Hotel Show exhibition director Maggie Moore said that while the study showed that globally the hotel sector was experiencing “something of a slowdown”, substantial new business was available for hotel equipment and service providers.
“This is still a regional growth industry,” Moore added.
In response to exhibitor and visitor requests, The Hotel Show organisers dmg world media Dubai will be highlighting kitchen equipment within its Operating and Supply section at the show in 2010 (18-20 May, Dubai World Trade Centre).
“In global terms, the Middle East is one of the few regions where hotel kitchen equipment suppliers can find new markets,” Moore commented.
Kitchen and laundry equipment accounts for 2.12% of the value of a hotel project.
The study carried out by the Proleads research house, showed that across the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, total kitchen and laundry budgets were expected to exceed $617 million this year and $634 million in 2010.
The United Arab Emirates was forecast to take the lion’s share of the total GCC budget this year at more than $427 million.
This will fall to just over $390 million in 2010 as more hotel projects are completed.
However, Proleads forecasts continued growth in new hotel kitchen and laundry budgets across other GCC countries.
The Saudi Arabia budget is forecast to climb from $119 million this year to $137 million in 2010.
Bahrain will also witness a significant increase from $36 million this year to over $50 million in 2010; Qatar from $16 million to more than $32 million; Kuwait from $6 million to more than $11 million.
The forecast budgets in Oman are expected to remain virtually static at around $11 million both this year and next.
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