A new dawn for regional hospitality

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Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay soft opens in the Musandam, Oman, this month with a new brand of luxury where all 82 villas (including 10 spa villas) come with private pools and butler service.

While industry reports suggest around 100 new hotels are on schedule to open in the UAE alone by 2010, the reality on the ground is that rooms are still at a premium throughout the Gulf and wider Middle East and demand continues to outstrip supply.

But, with the New Year comes a faint glimmer of hope as various projects come to fruition in 2008, marking a new dawn for all sectors, from meetings and events to the leisure and corporate markets.

If the trade can relish the expected softening of rates and occupancies, for the destinations themselves, the new injection of rooms and innovative developments will reinvigorate their image in regional and overseas markets, giving added incentives for both first time and repeat visitors.

Two of the biggest and most flamboyant of the new projects have their origins in South Africa's Sun City, where Sol Kerzner perfected the art of the integrated resort and took the concept out to the wider world with the Atlantis Paradise Island development in the Bahamas.

Now split into two companies, both are entering the Middle East market this year, with Kerzner International debuting in Dubai with the massive Atlantis The Palm resort while Sun International raised the first flag with the soft opening of phase one of Port Ghalib at Marsa Alam on the Red Sea, Egypt late last year.

The first deluxe project of its kind in the country, Port Ghalib has been designed to attract the meetings and incentives market while offering a range of premium accommodation split among three hotels - the icing on the cake being a range of on-site facilities including a marina, boardwalk with souk, restaurant and entertainment outlets, the world's second largest salt-water lagoon pool, Six Senses spa, and the Red Sea's dive and snorkelling attractions on tap.

Top-of-the-range accommodation is provided at The Palace, a 309-room ‘citadel' where the oriental architectural influences are evident in the courtyards, domes, arches, murals, mosaics and vaulted ceilings, while the 347-room Sahara Sun Sands is billed as a ‘secluded haven' and the 292-room Sahara Sun Oasis is positioned as a more relaxed family option.

According to Port Ghalib at Marsa Alam director of sales & marketing Brett Hoppe, The Palace is the showcase of the resort and one that is tipped to attract both governmental meetings of the type currently dominated by Sharm El Sheikh, as well as targeting the Gulf Arab market in summer.

"The Palace is a premium address where we have considered the requirements of those who demand exclusivity and privacy," he says.

"There is a dedicated pool, for instance, and we can secure certain blocks to create private wings as necessary."

With control of the nearby Marsa Alam airport, also constructed by developer Kharafi, Hoppe says arrival procedures could be streamlined for those arriving by private jets.

"However, while the positioning of the product is premium, this is affordable luxury with three different price brackets," he stresses.

"We are governed by prevailing conditions in the market and Egypt has one of the best value-for-money hotel rates in the market...this is not Dubai."

And, in terms of access, as well as new Cairo-Marsa Alam feeder services, Hoppe says the group is talking to regional airlines to encourage direct flights in to the Red Sea Airport.

"We know if we are to harness the potential of the region and stimulate short break bookings in particular, we need to have low-cost flights and charters, as well as scheduled services," he says.

Given the wealth of facilities and a Red Sea environment where sea, sand, mountains and antiquities come in to play, potential to excite the Gulf and wider Middle East market is vast, aided by an upcoming consumer and trade marketing campaign orchestrated by Sun International.

Luxurious Luxor

Meanwhile, other developments in Egypt aim to reposition and reinforce that country's appeal as a destination that can cater to upscale travellers.

Hilton International, for example, has identified the spa as a key element to bring in luxury travellers over and beyond the traditional appeal of the Nile and its Pharaonic treasures.

Autumn will see the reopening of its Luxor property following a $30 million renovation as a spa resort with 236 rooms including five spa suites as well as a fibre-optic lit infinity pool overlooking the Nile.

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