Dubai: Rotana Hotels has won several World Travel Awards 2010 because of its position as one of the leading hotel brands in the Middle East.
The brand is currently busy opening up a myriad of hotels — around 40 — across the Middle East, seemingly unperturbed by the economic downturn.
Honoured to receive the awards, Salem Al Zyr, president and CEO of Rotana, put the group's success down to the focus, attention and passion everyone at Rotana displays towards their work.
"That's how we managed to become the number one leading hotel, competing against other global operators, in the same place," he said.
The awards, tipped as the "Oscars" of the hotel industry, went to nine Rotana Hotels in the region, for business, corporate and family resorts, meetings and the likes.
Following the opening of the Rose Rayhaan by Rotana earlier this year, another nine hotels are due to open in the region. Rotana executives at last year's Arabian Travel Market said that they would open one hotel every 15 days this year.
"We would have loved to keep that nicely spaced schedule, but of course something unpredictable always happened, especially construction delays. So last year we ended up opening three hotels in the same week even," Al Zyr said.
Next up are three properties opening this month and next, each competing to open first. The properties are the Amwaj Rotana resort in Dubai's Jumeirah Beach Residence, the Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana on Abu Dhabi's corniche and the Oryx Rotana — Doha, its first property in Qatar.
"Our aim is to have a Rotana in each major centre in the Middle East and we're nearly there," said Al Zyr.
Doha itself will get the first Centro property by year-end, but before that the first Centro in Dubai will open in Barsha. Fujairah will get its second Rotana property, this time in the shape of hotel apartments, the Nour Arjaan by Rotana, this summer. Also this summer the Centro Sharjah Airport is expected to open its doors.
Booming properties
In total the group's plan is to open 10 more hotels each year until it reaches a portfolio of 70 properties by 2014. Its first property in Iraq will be ready for guests this summer in Baghdad. It is under construction in the Green Zone and will be ready by 2012.
The Abu Dhabi-based group has its eyes set on Jordan's capital Amman as well. Two properties are in the pipeline, one five-star and the other one could be a Centro.
Philippe Baretaud, development director Middle East at Accor Hospitality, said in a recent interview that they could run the risk of having too many upper-scale properties in Amman.
"Yes, there are lots of five-star hotels in Amman but you can compete. It's the nature of the business. Sometimes hotels are full and when not, the best one wins," Al Zyr said.
