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NEWS


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SURVEY ASKS HOTELS TO BOOST ONLINE ACTIVITY


EUROPEAN REUNION FOR KATARA HOSPITALITY BRAND


Arabian Travel Market is a crucial showcase for Katara Hospitality as the group is set to reopen two iconic properties in Europe. “Katara Hospitality has always


considered Arabian Travel Market an excellent platform to showcase its collection of iconic, award-winning hotels while providing updates on the rapidly progressing journey of global expansion,” a spokesman for the group said. First of the European openings


Doros Theodorou


Hoteliers in the Middle East need to take heed of the way technology is changing global travel and bolster their online presence, according to a Tripadvisor.com top executive at Arabian Travel Market yesterday. The statement follows data from an online survey conducted by the website revealing that 50 percent of respondents would not book a hotel that does not have an online review. “Technology and


internet access has enabled travellers to become savvier when they are researching holidays. We now take it for granted that everybody will look for a user review,” said Doros Theodorou,


Commercial Director EMEA, Business Listings, Tripadvisor. “They stay at the hotels and


enjoy the service, then use platforms such as Tripadvisor to tell the world about the experience they had, turning into ambassadors for the hotels,” Theodorou said. The survey, in collaboration


with travel market researcher FoCusWright, also found that 77 percent of respondents would look for a management response to reviews, which they would interpret as the sign of an establishment that cares, he added. “Middle East hotels need to


be registered owners of their pages on Tripadvisor as that would enable them to cut costs


Visit stand TT6365


MAKARIM TO EXPAND INTO KEY SAUDI CITIES WITH RIYADH DEAL


During Arabian Travel Market, Makarim Hospitality Group is announcing an expansion strategy to increase its presence across key cities in Saudi Arabia. Major cities, Jeddah, Riyadh and Al Khobar, are of prime interest, along with a number of other secondary cities. As part of the plan, the group


is announcing the signing of a new 65-room four-star hotel development in Riyadh; the Makarim Riyadh Hotel. This will bring the group’s total portfolio of rooms to around 2,000. Makarim Hospitality Group


has also completed the renovation of Makarim Tabuk Hotel in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. This will be followed by other projects that are currently underway, including a makeover of Makarim Annakeel Hotel and Resort, Jeddah.


Makarim Hospitality Group specialises in properties in Saudi Arabia with eight hotels so far, including five in Makkah. A Makarim Hospitality


Group spokesperson said: “Our presence at Arabian Travel Market this year highlights the group’s brand identity in order to convey a clear guest experience, to deliver a world-class hotel and resort experience driven by


strategic plans, leadership and superior service designed with a local touch for the Saudi Arabian and international traveller. “The show will also be a great


venue to witness the signing of Umrah and Hajj deals with major international companies. The management and sales teams will also be present in order to introduce the forthcoming season’s rates and packages.”


by knowing how to reach their target audiences,” said Theodorou. Only 50 percent of the region’s hotels on the website had a registered owner at the time of the survey, which is leading to missed opportunities in terms of free marketing tools on the website or responding to reviews. “You can see what


reviewers have said about your hotel and then you know whether it’s the cleanliness of your rooms, the restaurants or the bar that’s the issue.” See more from Doros


Theodorou in our augmented reality video interview by downloading the app from layar.com or the App Store.


is the Excelsior Hotel Gallia Milan, Katara Hospitality’s newest hotel where design elements aim to merge a traditional European architectural style with modern 21st


century aspects. Also set to


open this year is The Peninsula Paris, a luxurious property housed in a classic 19th


century


Parisian building currently in its final stages of redevelopment. Meanwhile, within the GCC


market, the group has plans to renovate the Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel, a building that has become one of the most striking hotels on Doha’s skyline. Aiming to modernise the property and its facilities, a full renovation


of all guest rooms, public areas, recreation facilities and the conference and meetings spaces is planned. When it reopens, the renovated property is expected to reflect a synergy between its striking 1970s architecture and the style of a 21st


century hotel. The new openings, along with


recent additions such as Buddha- Bar Hotel Paris – a boutique hotel in the heart of the city that opened in 2013 – brings Katara Hospitality closer to its goal of opening 30 properties worldwide by 2016.


Christopher Knable, COO, Katara Hospitality Visit stand HC 5850


MONACO CREATES A 'REEF FOR THE FUTURE' BELOW ROCKSIDE MUSEUM


Monaco has created a new manmade reef for scientific and touristic dives at the foot of its ‘Temple of the Sea’ – the cliffside Oceanographic Museum. Divers, including famous


freediver Pierre Frolla, have carried out an inaugural dive to the wreck of Le Toulonnais, which has been converted to become “a reef for the future”. In late March, the wreck


of the tugboat Le Toulonnais, submerged 30 metres (98 feet) deep in the Port of Monaco since 1991, was moved within Monaco’s territorial waters to the foot of the Oceanographic Museum, at a depth of 30 metres (98 feet), to create an artificial underwater reef for divers, scientists, professional fishermen and future generations. It is expected the site will


make it possible to protect a wealth of underwater life in the area. Among the species expected to colonise the reef are brown grouper, great barracuda, conger eels, sponges, lobsters, octopus and coral. The main aim is to offer


Makarim Hospitality Group stand


Visit stand EU7140


future generations a prime site for observation and for raising awareness of Mediterranean fauna and flora. The reef is


Monaco stand


expected to also become a unique diving site in the region, a base for scientific observation as well as a habitat for fish. The Oceanographic Museum


is located above the reef on the side of the mythical Rock of Monaco and was inaugurated in 1910. Its architecture evokes the marine world and is today a key element of Monaco's identity. Famous conservationist Jacques- Yves Cousteau was a director from 1957 to 1988. With more than 700,000 visitors in 2013, the museum is one of the main attractions of the principality. From a number of aquariums


that include a shark lagoon, to collections of natural history, the museum offers visitors a unique learning experience. The Oceanographic Museum


has also opened its doors to contemporary art and hosts major exhibitions by renowned international artists such as Damien Hirst, Huang Yong Ping, Mark Dion and Marc Quinn. The Monaco Government


Tourist and Convention Authority, a government service whose mission is to promote the Principality and its tourism facilities, is exhibiting at Arabian Travel Market.


Visit stand HC5360


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