Fast lane to Fujairah

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The Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort.

Just 90 minutes from Dubai, Fujairah offers another world of opportunities for planners.

While Fujairah's tourism board is still finding its feet, promoting the destination to meetings planners has been largely left up to the emirate's hotels; it seems to be paying off.

Fujairah's tourism offering is divided into two distinct regions; the city centre and Al Aqah beach.

Until very recently, the Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort dominated the hotel market on the Al Aqah strip, being the only five-star property in the area.

The new hotels that have opened up over the last year; the Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa, Hotel JAL Fujairah Resort & Spa and the Miramar Al Aqah Beach Resort have created more competition for business, but also increased the amount of promotional activity dedicated to the area.

Al Aqah's location - some 90 minutes from Dubai - and the value for money offering are two of its major appeals, according to Patrick Antaki, general manager of the Le Meridien Al Aqah.

"When we first opened, people wondered why we built such a big facility so far away from Dubai, but now we could actually do with another ballroom!" he explains.

"Because we are not yet that well-known for our conference side, we tend to give a lot more value for money. Even if our price compares with a hotel in Dubai, what they get is a totally different experience.

Extensive meetings facilities and a large space for outside events makes the hotel popular with meetings and conferences, according to Antaki: "We found that we are very popular for team building and we are also popular for think-tanks and annual general meetings (AGMs) of various sorts.

"It could be the annual sales conference or any big annual meeting where they will reward people, as well and include an incentive aspect.

One international corporation recently hired out the entire hotel for a four-day event: "It was tough but it was great because the results were sublime; the whole hotel was doing the same thing so for once we could concentrate all the staff to serve the same people," Antaki explains.

Competition between the hotels tends to heat up in the summer season when business slows down, but that is when corporate planners can find the best deals, Antaki adds.

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Company Retreat
Posted by Vishal, Dubai, UAE on Wednesday 28 May 2008 at 09:55 UAE time


Our company recently stayed in Le Meridien Al Aqah on a company retreat and I must say the entire experience, from dinner on the beach to team activities in the morning, was excellent

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