A great showing

Last month, as exhibitors from around the world packed The Hotel Show with the latest products and ideas, some took time out to tell Hotelier Middle East what trends are in demand this year.

With organisers promising a bigger and better show this year, all eyes once again turned to Dubai for The Hotel Show to discover the latest products and hottest industry trends.

Organiser Maggie Moore from dmg worldmedia said the show had seen a 22% increase in exhibition space.

"The overriding comment from everyone at the show was the quality of visitors - the people who came were the people who needed to be there, and decisions were made," she said. "I have spoken to some of the textile exhibitors and they have already had orders placed."

Hotelier Middle East visited several exhibitors to find out their predictions for the industry in the next year.

Gold is not the new black

According to JAB Anstoetz vice president international sales Roger Niemeyer, hotel styles in the region are becoming more contemporary, moving away from the "voluminous Arabic style".

"In the past a lot of traditional hotels came out, now you have one traditional hotel and five others which are more contemporary," he said.

"Many people coming to Dubai are arriving from Europe, and this is more of what they would expect.

"The off-white colour is always in favour, even internationally. But now designers are looking for more textures, and for warm and darker colours."

Pierre Frey vice president Vincent Frey agreed that the region was leaving behind its predisposition for classical design in favour of contemporary looks. But he predicted a rise in bright, rather than dark, colours.

"There are less classical products and big designs, [hotels are now] going in to stripes and plains," he explained.

"Now we are moving into an almost Italian or German style of decoration. They are moving away from beige and white into brighter colours - red, pink and orange.

"It is less risky to do [contemporary] styles. It's a new trend, so it will stay that way for a while. There is also a trend towards high-end products for the more luxurious hotel product."