Hospitality: 2008 predictions

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For many hoteliers 2007 was a year in which they enjoyed success, with plenty of new properties opening, strong financial performance across nearly the entire region, and a continued maturing of the region's hotel industry into a fully sophisticated market.

2007

Scorecard: 2007

According to Hilton Hotels president for Middle East and Africa Jean-Paul Herzog, the company had "an extremely successful year".

"Our occupancies for Middle East and Africa are at an all time high of 75% - for the year to date to November 2007- with Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula performing strongly," he said.

Looking at the performance during the first 11 months of the year, Hilton recorded a 19% RevPAR increase in the Arabian Peninsula and Indian Ocean region, a 7% RevPAR increase in Egypt and North Africa and 23% increase in Africa. Occupancy was strong, ranging between 71% and 79% across the three regions, while the average daily rate increased as much as 27% in Africa.

Coral International Hotels Resorts and Spas managing director Michel Noblet said the company did well in Saudi Arabia in addition to the UAE and Oman.

"With a double-digit increase in business, 2007 has been an amazing year for Coral," he said.

"Since our projects are still under development in Africa, the Middle East was definitely the strongest market in terms of operations."

Noblet said the average occupancy for UAE properties was 95%, 88% in Saudi Arabia and 92% in Oman.

2007 was a year of records for Rotana Hotels, according to chief operating officer Imad Elias.

"The properties under our management have performed extremely well, specifically in the United Arab Emirates, Khartoum and Syria," he said.

"This of course excludes Rotana in Lebanon, which has strived throughout 2007 and fortunately achieved an average occupancy of 45%.

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