DSF Means Big Business For Dubai Hospitality Sector

Main hotel groups report healthy growth in guest arrivals and occupancy levels after gearing up early with DSF promotions and offers

For Dubai hospitality sector, the Dubai Shopping Festival is a much-awaited time of peak occupancy and this year has been no exception. Hotels in Dubai geared up for DSF 2013 by planning the best promotions and discount packages throughout the 32 days of the festival to enable guests from all over the world to enjoy the various activities, events, raffles and shopping opportunities on offer.

Key executives of several top hotel groups in Dubai say the DSF has become the season that not only the entire hospitality sector but also the whole business establishment of the city waits for as it contributes tremendously toward boosting the emirate’s economy.

The DSF motivates all sectors to bring out their best, they said, and added that especially for the hospitality sector the festival time was when occupancy rates hover at a full 100 per cent.

Hospitality industry watchers, who had predicted before the start of the festival that there would be a sharp uptake in hotel occupancy levels for DSF 2013, have been proved right from the first day itself.

Jumeirah Group expects 4.5% rise in occupancy compared to last year

Christian Pertl, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Dubai and MEASA region, Jumeirah Group, said: “Jumeirah Hotels in Dubai have come out with special packages to enrich the experience of guests, which include discounted room rate packages such as “Jumeirah Winter Breaks” that offers 10 per cent off the available best rate and include breakfast, unlimited access to the private beach and to the Wild Wadi Waterpark. “It is ideal for visitors from the GCC and other emirates who tend to visit Dubai for the weekend or a short stay. We have also planned “Winter Flavours”, which is another offer for longer stays – a minimum of five nights – where our guests can relax on idyllic private beaches, enjoy luxury shopping and take advantage of a complimentary breakfast with a choice of lunch or dinner in any of our 45 participating restaurants for the entire duration of the guests’ stay, in addition to private beach, Wild Wadi Waterpark and kids’ clubs access.“We expect it to be quite a busy period for all the nine hotel establishments of Jumeirah in Dubai. As DSF coincides with the GCC school holiday period, we expect occupancy rates of around 90 per cent in Dubai with a 4.5 per cent increase in occupancy compared to last year.”

Expected rise in occupancy in Rotana by 10% in 2013

Thomas Tapken, Rotana’s Area Vice President for Dubai and Northern Emirates said: “We witnessed a significant rise in occupancy during DSF 2012, and we are very positive that we will experience a similar occupancy surge during the DSF 2013. Our hotels worked on shopping packages like every year, which we started promoting in the GCC countries. Dubai Shopping Festival has done a great job of promoting Dubai as a leisure and shopping destination during the last few years. It is a great way of attracting tourists to a good value holiday where you can enjoy a variety of promotions and events and stay in some of the best hotels in the world.

The 15 Rotana Hotels in Dubai are expecting DSF 2013 to draw more visitors, especially from GCC countries. “Needless to mention, we have witnessed a 25 per cent increase in the number of GCC visitors staying in 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, and we are expecting this figure to increase by more than 10 per cent in 2013.”

Attractive prices and additional benefits to guests at the Kempinski – Palm Jumeirah

Burkhard Wolter, General Manager, Kempinski Residences & Hotel Apartments, said: “We are participating in this well-recognized promotion for the second year and, have extended our promotion for rooms with the highlight of additional benefits for families large and small. The large Suites are the perfect places to unwind within close proximity to any participating shopping mall of DSF 2013. Not only that, we do not charge for extra beds and baby cots, and we have even extended our outdoor kids’ playground. A number of babysitters are at our guests’ disposal, making sure that all family members enjoy their stay with us.

“The promotion is well placed in the annual calendar, making sure that not only GCC residents but also tourists in general from all parts of the world benefit from the special offers. We are pleased to report a double digit increase in booking rates from guests enjoying the occasion while being accommodated on the unique Palm Jumeirah in a leisure environment. We strongly believe that the awareness of our property as the preferred destination on the Palm Jumeirah will further rise after guests discover its excellence during DSF 2013.”

Special promotions during DSF in Radisson Royal Hotel Dubai

Hazem Aouad, Cluster Director of Sales and Marketing at Radisson Royal Hotel Dubai & Radisson Blu Resort Fujairah, said: “During DSF, Spa Zen & Health Club at Radisson Royal Hotel Dubai is offering a Yearly Health Club Membership for a price of AED 4500, a discount of AED 2250. Membership benefits include 10 complimentary wellbeing activities such as cardio boxing, personal training, zumba, aqua aerobics, etc”.

The Club is also offering 2 spa treatments comprising one hour-long signature massage and one half-hour refreshing facial, a 20 per cent discount on additional spa treatments, excluding express treatments; unlimited access to the swimming pool, which is open daily from 7am to 9pm; unlimited access to gym, sauna, jacuzzi and steam, which is open daily 6am to midnight, and a 20 per cent discount on Radisson Royal food and beverage outlets, excluding room service. Also, Radisson Royal Hotel Dubai offers room rates starting from AED 900 per night, excluding service charge and municipality tax.

“Dubai Shopping Festival is going from strength to strength and is attracting more visitors every year, not only from the GCC and the Middle East but also from the subcontinent, Europe and the CIS countries. We are expecting to be very busy during the 32 days of the festival and have participated in several promotions with local destination management companies and tour operators in terms of accommodation offers. As well, since visitors are relying more and more on online channels, we are making sure that we have the right channels promoting us throughout this period,” Hazem Aouad added.

DSF is natural boost to tourism – Meydan Hotels

Craig Senior, Regional Director of Sales & Marketing, Meydan Hotels & Hospitality: “During DSF 2013, I am delighted to say that both The Meydan Hotel and the Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa have extended a discount on rooms booked at the published rate via the hotels’ website. This rate will also include breakfast.

“This year’s DSF is very well timed, being held right after the start of the year, and acts as a natural boost to drive visitor numbers to the UAE after the festive period. We have already seen strong occupancy levels in both our hotels, and we envisage this to continue through January and the first quarter. We are experiencing visitor arrivals from all of our main feeder markets, including the UAE, GGC, regional and international ones.”