Accor to open 18 new hotels in the Middle East until 2014

Accor to open 18 new hotels in the Middle East until 2014

A new hotel brand, Adagio, will join Accor’s portfolio of hotels with the launch of the first Adagio City Aparthotel which will open in Abu Dhabi in late 2011 or early 2012.

February 4, 2011 3:23 by Rasha Reslan

Accor Middle East, one of the leading hospitality groups in the region, has a robust platform to open 18 new hotels (4,850 rooms) within the next three years.

A strong focus will be on two key markets, UAE and KSA, which are seen to drive positive growth for the group’s development plans. Eleven of the 18 new hotels will be located in the UAE, two in Bahrain, two in KSA and three in Syria.

Christophe Landais, Managing Director of Accor ME said, “We have experienced sustainable progress in the region’s tourism and hospitality industry in 2010. With 2011 upon us, we plan to build a new image of the UAE as an affordable destination. We believe that to attract a more diverse tourist base, we have to offer tourists and business travellers alike a wider choice of hotels to stay in.”

“Focusing on our core strength, we plan to expand our internationally branded economy hotel ibis and mid-market hotel brand Novotel in the UAE which will drive tourism flows and redefine the Middle East hospitality industry in the long-term,” he added.

A new hotel brand, Adagio, will join Accor’s portfolio of hotels with the launch of the first Adagio City Aparthotel which will open in Abu Dhabi in late 2011 or early 2012. Designed to be a new network of urban residences, the Adagio City Aparthotel chain offers midscale apartments with à la carte services for “just like at home” stays in major destinations. The Adagio concept meets the very real consumer need for city stays: an easily accessible “pied à terre”, offering home comfort and the chance for guests to enjoy their stay with total freedom and independence.

The global network of Adagio City Aparthotel already comprises of 30 Aparthotels, with more than 3,000 apartments in key European capitals and primary cities. The brand has an ambition to develop 100 Aparthotels across the world by 2015.

With tourism in KSA booming, Accor is set to open more hotels in this market. Forecasts from global information publisher Euromonitor International says business arrivals in KSA for 2014 will be 7.5 million and leisure arrivals will be at a staggering 22.7 million visitors. With this scenario, Accor is right on track in expanding its ibis network with the recent signing of a new agreement to operate the first ibis hotel in Riyadh. Currently Accor is managing 10 hotels in the Kingdom.

With the successful launch of Accor’s first upscale hotel in the region, Pullman Dubai Mall of the Emirates in September 2010, Accor will sustain the brand’s positioning with a second hotel with the 354-room Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lake set to open this year.

In addition to Pullman MoE, Accor has opened three new hotels in 2010: Mercure Al Khobar in KSA (160 rooms), ibis Dubai Al Rigga in the UAE (280 rooms) and ibis Sharq in Kuwait (160 rooms).

Accor is confident in the future since its expansion and growth will bring its regional network to 54 hotels representing approximately 12,497 rooms by 2014.