Hilton to open 950 hotels globally

Dubai: Hilton Worldwide is to open 950 new hotels globally, including 59 in the Middle East and Africa region within the next decade, topping up 3,999 hotels worldwide, a top official said.

“In June this year, we are opening our 4000th hotel,” Rudy S.K. Jagersbacher, President of Hilton Worldwide Middle East and Africa, told Gulf News. “We have a robust pipeline of hotels in the region and worldwide. We are going to open 20 new hotels in Saudi Arabia to meet the growing demand for new capacity in the religious tourism market.”

In the Middle East and Africa region, Hilton operates 57 hotels, of which, 44 are in the Middle East, including 20 in Egypt and 11 in the UAE. “We are scheduled to open the first Conrad in the UAE in August this year, followed by the Woldorf Ras Al Khaimah and the new Hilton Property on the Palm Jumeirah,” he said.

The hotel operator continued to lead the industry with the largest global pipeline by rooms, per STR — with more than 175,000 rooms in the pipeline, the largest in company history. It maintained status as the fastest growing major hotel company since 2007, expanding the company’s portfolio and surpassing all competitors in total rate of rooms.

In the Middle East and Africa, it signed a management agreement to open the Waldorf Astoria Doha West Bay, Qatar, bringing the luxury brand to a new Middle East market. It has recently opened the Hilton Alexandria Corniche following a major refurbishment, marking the brand’s second hotel in Alexandria and Hilton Worldwide’s 19th in Egypt.

It has also opened the 259-room Hilton Sharjah, Hilton Worldwide’s first hotel in the Emirate of Sharjah in UAE.

He said, despite the Arab Spring, the brand has signed up three hotels in Egypt, a few in Libya and it will open three hotels in Iraq. “We have a long-term commitment to the region and these key markets will continue to drive our business,” he said.

Hilton Worldwide is also adding Bahrain to its portfolio of operating countries following the signing of a management agreement with Tashyeed Properties Company to open the new DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bahrain — Juffair in late 2015.

The new 350-room hotel is a five-star property and will be located in Bahrain’s capital Manama in the upscale residential area of Juffair. Juffair is regarded as one of the most popular and prestigious areas of the city and the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bahrain — Juffair hotel will be surrounded by stylish cafes, shops and restaurants.