Rotana seeks to capitalise on rising German guest figures with participation in ITB Berlin 2016

Tuesday 08 March 2016

Abu Dhabi - MENA Herald: Rotana, one of the leading hotel management companies in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Eastern Europe, today announced its participation at ITB Berlin – the world’s leading travel trade show taking place in Berlin, Germany from March 9-13, 2016.
“Rotana has had a successful 2015 where we managed to continue on our expansion path despite tough market conditions, and we have a number of new openings scheduled throughout 2016 that will further strengthen our portfolio and market leadership. Our interest in Germany as a source market for our properties remains robust – highlighting the important place we believe this market holds in our wider growth plans. ITB has always proven to be an indispensable platform for information-sharing and networking and we are excited to share our key highlights and future plans with the travel trade community at this year’s event,” said Omer Kaddouri, President & CEO, Rotana.
“Rotana’s impressive mix of properties that cater to a wide variety of guest needs means that the company has already established itself as a popular brand for visitors from Germany. Our business from Germany contributes to 11% of the entire business across all our properties in all cities and 16% in the UAE — a spike of 13% from 2014,” he added.
“With the UAE increasingly being chosen by German tourists as a ‘value-for-money’ destination, these figures are expected to grow higher this year as our diverse range of offerings, such as our beach resorts, continue to cater to their leisure needs. Also, a large number of German tourists look for cultural experiences to enhance their travels, and in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in particular we have a lot to offer in this regard. Our properties in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah too are major draws for tourists from Germany, and we are looking towards high-level networking events such as the ITB to try and increase the number of German overnight guests at our hotels in Al Ain,” Kaddouri continued.
Strategic partnerships such as the one between Etihad and Air Berlin as well as special air travel deals offered by German tour operators are expected to further boost inbound tourism from Germany, driven by multiple factors such as flight affordability, frequency and connectivity. The steady increase in the number of young single travellers from Germany is also opening new opportunities for players such as Rotana.
Rotana has already launched a wide range of unique properties this year, in keeping with its guests’ evolving needs for comfort and style in key markets across the region. Rotana’s impressive expansion plans for 2016 witnessed the inauguration of a number of properties in the first two months of the year including Dalga Residences by Rotana, Turkey; Downtown Rotana, Bahrain; and City Centre Rotana, Qatar, adding a combined 697 keys to the group’s existing inventory of 13,296 rooms.
Upcoming Rotana properties set to open within the first half of the year include Centro Capital Doha (April 1st 2016); Kin Plaza Arjaan by Rotana, Kinshasa (Q2 2016) – marking Rotana’s entry into the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Amman Rotana in Jordan (Q2 2016)— Rotana’s second Jordanian property featuring 412 rooms and suites and world-class facilities; Vazo Residences by Rotana (Q2 2016), Turkey - located on the Asian side of Istanbul; two luxury properties in Saudi Arabia— Rosh Rayhaan (Q2 2016) in Riyadh and Centro Shaheen (Q2 2016) in Jeddah— both located minutes away from the country’s high-end shopping districts and business centres. These hotels will add a further 1,364 rooms to Rotana’s inventory.
Rotana’s end-of-the-year plans include the opening of five new properties in the region in Q4 – 2016, including Capital Centre Rotana, located in the heart of Abu Dhabi, Erbil Arjaan by Rotana in Iraq and three new properties in Saudi Arabia— Centro Waha and Centro Olaya in Riyadh’s business district as well as the four-star Centro Corniche in Al Khobar that offers luxury long-term stay for business travellers and families alike.

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