HMH plans 17 hotel openings by end of 2010

Hospitality Management Holdings (HMH) has announced plans to open 17 hotels by the end of 2010, which will increase its total number of hotel rooms by 40%.

The company, which currently operates 33 properties, will be increasing its portfolio to 50 hotels by the end of the year, with a significant number of these due to open in Saudi Arabia.

HMH chief executive officer Michel Noblet said: “We are committed to opening 17 hotels this year with 10 of them opening in Saudi Arabia this year alone. We are interested in Saudi Arabia because it is the biggest market in the Gulf —simple as that”.

In addition to the planned openings in Saudi Arabia, other Middle East developments include two properties which will open in Doha this year.

The Doha properties, Corp Doha, Suites and Coral International, Doha, are expected to open in July 2010 and during the third quarter of 2010 respectively.

Commenting on the Doha openings, Noblet said: “Doha is definitely emerging as a business powerhouse in the Middle East and is among the leading business centres, which provides us the perfect setting for growth. Our objective is to target the demands of this growing sector with products tailored around the needs of international business executives”.

Extending beyond 2010, HMH plans to continue its expansion and has a target of 100 hotels by 2012, 57 of which have already been signed.