HMH – Hospitality Management Holdings Prepares for its Biggest Showing Ever this ATM

2011 is a landmark year for HMH – Hospitality Management Holdings as it counts to 50. Michel Noblet, President & CEO of the group, said, “Despite all the hiccups – first the global economic recession and now the Middle East political crisis – we will have 50 hotels operational before the end of the year and several of these will be unveiled during the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in May. We are extremely pleased to reach this milestone as until now most of the hotels were only on the drawing board but today they stand ready to welcome their first guests.”

Speaking on the significance of ATM Michel said, “Arabian Travel Market is the perfect platform to showcase our hotels to the global travel and tourism industry. It also presents us the ideal opportunity to discover new trends as well as exchange latest know-how and ideas with other hospitality experts to tackle challenges faced by our industry today.”

The opening of 15 new hotels before the end of the year will add approximately 2400 rooms to the HMH’s portfolio which is nearly 40% more than the group’s existing supply. Since its formation in 2003, HMH has developed several successful new brands under its banner including Coral Hotels & Resorts, Corp Executive Hotel Apartments, EWA Hotel Apartments and ECOS Hotels. However, Coral Hotels & Resorts continues to lead the group’s growth in the region and out of the 10 projects lined up for announcement during ATM, seven belong to the Coral brand. Another strong contributor to the HMH portfolio is Corp Executive Hotels that has given the group significant lead in the GCC with 3 hotels operational and 3 under development.

Michel said, “The upcoming hotels in our portfolio will give us stronger presence in key business and leisure destinations in the Middle East particularly the UAE, KSA, Jordan, Syria, Qatar and Oman.
Michel remains upbeat about the market conditions. “We continue to see exciting development opportunities and believe the time is right for consolidation, growth and expansion. We have confidence that the economy and hotel sector is on a strong rebound track. I am glad to see the diversification we have now in terms of hotel categories. Before we only saw the deluxe 5 star segment in the market. Today we have a mid-market and budget segment coming, so it makes the destinations more appealing and affordable.

“The Middle East has an incredible ability to bounce back. Travellers have an enduring love affair with countries such as Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and we hope things will get back to normal soon in order for business to continue as usual.”

For additional information about Coral Hotels & Resorts visit: www.coral-international.com

We invite you to visit the HMH Stand during ATM from 2nd to 5th May 2011

Our location
·    Stand No HC 1330 in Za’abeel Hall
·    Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre
Sheikh Zayed Road

Notes for Editors
About HMH
Founded in 2003, HMH – Hospitality Management Holdings is one of the fastest growing, fully-integrated hotel management and development companies in the Middle East. Headquartered in Dubai, HMH offers a complete spectrum of options in hotel categories from top-end luxury hotels to budget properties. Comprising 4 distinct hotel brands namely Coral Hotels & Resorts, Corp Executive Hotels, ECOS Hotels and EWA Hotel Apartments, HMH provides a comprehensive selection of accommodations and services to suit all budgets and clientele.
Key Facts about HMH
·    No of hotels operational before end of 2011: 50
·    No. of Rooms: 4783
·    No. of employees: 3200
·    No. of hotels opening in 2011: 15
·    No. of hotels under development: 10
Industry information
Impact of Political Unrest on hotels in Middle East / Africa
The Middle East/Africa region reported mixed performance results during February 2011 when reported in U.S. dollars, according to data compiled by STR Global. The region's occupancy ended the month with a 12.6-percent decrease to 56.7 percent, its average daily rate rose 17.1 percent to US$188.53, and its revenue per available room went up 2.3 percent to US$106.92. Below are some highlights
·    Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, experienced the largest occupancy increase, rising 27.3 percent to 74.1 percent.
·    Two markets posted double-digit occupancy decreases: Cairo, Egypt (-80.1 percent to 14.6 percent), and Beirut, Lebanon (-46.7 percent to 37.4 percent).
·    Two markets achieved double-digit ADR increases: Cairo (+24.8 percent to US$157.42 and Cape Town, South Africa (+13.6 percent to US$174.75).
·    Beirut fell 22.7 percent in ADR to US$187.05, reporting the largest decrease in that metric.

Middle East and Africa Hotel Pipeline
The Middle East / Africa hotel development pipeline comprises 432 hotels totalling 118,454 rooms, according to the February 2011 STR Global Construction Pipeline Report.
The main activity of hotel development in the region takes places across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Among the markets in the region, Abu Dhabi, UAE, will report the largest increase in supply (89.4%) if every one of the 13,405 additional rooms in its total active pipeline open. Other markets to expect significant increases in existing supply include: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (77.2% with 4,831 rooms in its total active pipeline); Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (50.5% with 3,033 rooms); Muscat, Oman (49.5% with 1,931 rooms); and Dubai, UAE (49.2% with 28,474 rooms).