Al Ain: The hotel industry in Al Ain has pinned great hopes on the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority's (ADTA) efforts to promote the oasis city as a tourist destination with a 15-year strategic plan.
The city's culture, heritage and civic infrastructure are being heavily promoted as part of the programme. Al Ain, the capital of Abu Dhabi's Eastern Region, is considered the custodian of ancient Arabian civilisation that dates back four millennia.
The new rating system has, however, hurt some of the hotels that have been downgraded based on the ADTA criteria.
According to the new ratings, the city now has only one five-star hotel, the Al Ain Rotana. The authority has rated the InterContinental a four-star and the Hilton a a three-star hotel. Another hotel, Mercure Grand, located on Jebel Hafeet, is still under review.
Ratings system
Ayman Gareeb, general manager of the Al Ain Rotana, is pleased with the ratings system. "I must admit that I am definitely satisfied with the ADTA's new rating system," he said.
Gareeb pointed out that the system has helped to ensure that services and products sold within the hospitality industry are of a high standard and that all hotels adopt fair practices.
The ADTA will review the hotel rating every two years.
"I was especially impressed by the ADTA's decision to implement a classification system wherein all hotels were involved when the original standards were set," he said.
Other hotels, however, did not respond to Gulf News when asked about the new rating system.
The hotel industry in Al Ain has been developing according to the market requirements. New hotels are expected to come up in the near future to cater to the government and business communities as well as the growing tourism sector.
The world's leading hotel chains are represented in Al Ain and they offer a large number of rooms, chalets and suites.
The industry relies heavily on cultural, sports and festive activities to bring in local and international tourists to the city.
Surrounded by sanddunes overlooking Jebel Hafeet, one of the country's highest mountains, Al Ain has a wealth of high-quality hotel accommodation.
It has lately seen rapid development with a large number of construction, roads and tourism projects. These have given a boost to the city's overall businesses including the hotel industry.
The number of hotels in Al Ain is presently considered enough to meet the demands of travellers coming to explore the city.
"Al Ain [has been] developing so drastically [and] in such little time that there is definitely space for more hotels to open up," said Gareeb.
Reporting satisfactory year-round business and occupancy rates, leading hotels in the city see higher occupancy rates during festive occasions such as Eid and Christmas.
"We expected an average occupancy rate of 80 per cent in the Christmas period," said Gareeb.
The Hilton and InterContinental did not comment.
"Our main customers are from the government and the business sectors during the week. On weekends, we have many travellers from Dubai and Abu Dhabi," said Gareeb.
Leading hotels in Al Ain offer sports and leisure facilities ranging from floodlit swimming pools to tennis courts and state-of-the-art gymnasiums.
The climate in March and April is considered ideal for holiday visitors.
Tourists from other Gulf Cooperation Council countries and UAE nationals are the main customers in the hotels, which also offer seasonal packages, along with many European and Americans during this time of year.
