Over the past decade, the Middle East region, and in particular, Dubai has turned into the most visited luxury travel destination. Various luxury hotel brands invest millions of dollars in a numerous large facilities and resorts.
The most interesting thing about the region, however, is that it attracts both leisure and business travelers. In addition, hotel owners and managers in the ME point the United Arab Emirates as the hottest luxury holiday spot. That is proved by the fact that almost every big luxury resorts chain operates not one, but a few properties in the country. What is more, the construction of new resorts never stops in the hope of sating tourists’ thirst for luxury of tourists. In the UAE only, for example Marriott International will open 9 more hotels in the coming year.
Reasons for the Region’s Popularity
The main reason for the ever increasing number of hotels in the region is believed to be its promising future. That is also the opinion of Pascal Duchauffour, area vice president of Europe and the Middle East at Ritz-Carlton, the chain which opened a new hotel in Abu Dhabi only a few days ago. Duchauffour said that leisure and business tourism in the UAE and the ME is still rising.
Also, many places in the Middle East are just starting to make their first steps in the luxury travel and tourism sector. Most of them are being discovered by the world for the first time. They offer tourists an experience that only a few people have enjoyed. Actually, that is what is in the core of luxury travel – uniqueness.
Another thing that helps the region’s luxury travel industry is its geographical location. Countries in the Middle East are very accessible from almost every part of the world. Dubai, in particular, additionally is world-class business hub, hosting never ending, massive trade shows and cultural events. This is namely what makes the region such hot business travel hub, in addition to luxury travel destination.
Who Stays in Luxury Hotels
The people who choose to book a room in a luxury hotel do not fall into only one or two categories. Many of them are visiting the region simply for pleasure, while others have come for important business meetings and conferences. Also, even though foreign luxury travelers seem to dominate, there are many locals who book in luxury resorts in the Middle East. Do not be surprised to hear that residents of Dubai book a holiday weekend at Atlantis, the Palm Jumeirah. It happens quite often here. The difference between the local and foreign hotel guests is that faraway visitors tend to mix leisure and business. Locals, on the other hand, stay in the hotels just to change the scenery, relax, take the kids to the water park or simply take a break from home.
Luxury Hotels’ Hard Task
Many people are not aware of that, but luxury hotels and resorts are always facing one major challenge – to satisfy the needs of all of their clients. That is never easy since their visitors are very different from each other. Every one of them has different culture, nationality and preferences. Therefore, luxury hotel brands need to find a way to meet the expectations of their guests and yet to somehow find a balance between the different entertainment, food and even the nationality of its personnel. As a result, usually in these areas, only the biggest and most experienced hotel companies survive the pressure.
