10 News


DEAL FOR NEW EGYPTIAN RESORT AMADEUS PREDICTS THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL


SWISS-BELHOTEL STRIKES A


Swiss-Belhotel International (SBI) has expanded further into Egypt with the signing of Swiss- Belresort Marseilia Beach 4 on the country’s picturesque north coast. Owned by Marseilia Egyptian Gulf Real Estate


Investment SAE, the four-star resort on the Sidi Abd El Rahman Bay comprises 150 rooms as well as assorted recreational facilities and varied dining options. The agreement was formalised during yester-


day’s show with the Swiss-Belresort Marseilia Beach 4 now scheduled to open in 2020. Egypt has emerged as a key growth market


for SBI, a global hotel management company which boasts a robust development pipeline of more than 2,296 rooms across four hotels. Gavin M. Faull, SBI Chairman and President,


said: “We are very excited to extend our rela- tionship with Marseilia Group, especially as we


already work closely with them on Swiss-Belho- tel Marseilia Alexandria Beach, which is part of a massive 1,200-key mixed use property. “Egypt is a remarkable destination and


these new projects are not only driven by a solid increase in demand for high-quality hotels in the country, but also reaffirm the owners’ confidence in our strong and distinctive brands.” Laurent A. Voivenel, SBI Senior Vice Presi-


dent, Operations and Development for the Middle East, Africa and India, added: “We are thrilled to welcome yet another world-class property to our portfolio of hotels in Egypt. “Combining the highest quality standards with local hospitality and excellent value, we are well-equipped to meet the needs of discerning international and domestic travellers.” ——— Visit stand HC0300


Leading travel technology solutions provider Amadeus offered fresh insights into the future of the tourism sector during the second day of Arabian Travel Market. Revealing the key technological trends that


are set to play an increasingly significant role, Amadeus highlighted four areas of development including virtual reality applications, the integra- tion of robotics with modern travel, strengthening the scope of artificial intelligence – the current capabilities of which can be equated to the IQ levels of a four year old – and applying the vast Internet of Things concept to enhance connec- tivity between devices. “We talk about the future of the travel indus-


try, in which virtual reality, artificial intelligence and so on are very futuristic, but the reality is that these are happening now,” explained Antoine Medawar, Vice President, Amadeus MENA. “Your next online query may be resolved via


PATCHI MAKES ITS ATM DEBUT


Luxury chocolate brand Patchi marked its first time exhibiting at Arabian Travel Market by unveil- ing its strategy to reach out to the UAE’s hospital- ity sector and strengthen the brand’s presence throughout the region. Patchi has more than 175 boutiques across 21


different countries and 32 stores in the UAE alone. The Lebanese chocolatier’s portfolio of corporate clients includes Emirates, Etihad Airways, Jumei- rah Group, Atlantis The Palm, The Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Aston Martin and Bentley. The company offers bespoke options for its


corporate clients with branded and exclusive chocolates in custom shapes, sizes and flavours, as well as tailored packaging. Commenting on the brand’s presence at the


show, CEO of Patchi UAE, Oussama Choucair said, “Patchi’s presence at ATM is very strategic to our


corporate division, targeting businesses from different sectors in the UAE, especially hospitality and travel retail. We recognise the importance of the show and its alignment with the 2020 vision.” Patchi is continuing a steady ascent each


year with Dubai Duty Free recording an increase in sales of over 17 percent in the first quarter of 2017. Patchi also ranked number one among other luxury chocolate brands and gained fifth place as a premium confectioner among more than 150 brands at Dubai Duty Free. The company aims to push forward with a


new manufacturing plant in Dubai Industrial Park, allowing for double the production capacity to meet the growing demand for premium bespoke chocolates in the UAE hospitality sector. ——— Visit stand ME2530


a chat backed by artificial intelligence technol- ogy. You may be able to view your next hotel


Aboudi Asali, CEO, HMH


room before you travel through virtual reality. The connected world enables you to access your travel details via your smartwatch, and robots are being employed to help travel buyers in their decision- making. This is the reality now,” he added. Amadeus’ technological vision for the future


also incorporates enhancing the ability to better understand and predict the behaviour of the modern traveller to meet growing demand. Celebrating its 30th


anniversary, and a jour-


ney that began in 1987, Amadeus is also focused on supporting the industry with several external start-up innovation vehicles such as Amadeus Ventures, Amadeus for Developers and the Global Start-up Program. “We are keen to explore opportunities with small and medium businesses within the travel sphere to help build a stronger portfolio of solu- tions that benefit customers and travellers across the globe,” revealed Medawar. ——— Visit stand TT1320


ROTANA TO MANAGE NEW SEAFRONT HOTEL IN OMAN


During yesterday’s show, Rotana signed a management agreement with Golden Group Holding (GGH) for a brand new hotel project in Muscat, Oman. Al Mouj Rayhaan by Rotana will be located


at the Al Mouj development, an integrated tour- ist complex. When completed, the site will comprise a mix of hotels, luxury residential properties, retail and dining facilities, and a private yacht hub. It will also be home to Oman’s only PGA-standard 18-hole links golf course, designed by legendary golfer Greg Norman. Al Mouj Rayhaan by Rotana will feature 250


rooms, suites and apartments along with world- class amenities and services, and is scheduled to open before 2020.


Nasser Al Nowais, Chairman of Rotana


said: “Rotana has ambitious plans for the Oman market, with no fewer than nine hotels set to open in the sultanate by 2020, adding more than 1,600 keys to our existing inventory of 400 rooms in the country. More importantly, these projects will bring significant economic benefits for Oman and create hundreds of new jobs.” Sheikh Salim bin Ahmed Al Ghazali, Chair- man of GGH, added: “We’re committed to investing in Oman’s tourism industry and contributing actively to the government’s plan to increase the share of the tourism sector in the country’s GDP.” ——— Visit stand HC0720


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