The UAE’s hotel development pipeline has “swelled to 48,000 keys,” according to research by global property consultancy, Knight Frank, with the hotel room supply forecast to be valued at $32 billion (AED117 billion).
“The UAE’s world-leading hospitality market is set to expand by 25 percent by 2030, with a further 48,000 rooms adding to the nation’s extensive 200,000 key portfolio,” Knight Frank’s head of Middle East Research Partner, Faisal Durrani said.
Durrani added that Dubai is set to account for the lion’s share of this total, with 76 percent of all new rooms coming to the emirate, which already has over 130,000 rooms. “This stockpile of hotel rooms is already higher than cities like London or New York,” he said.
The report also revealed a growing population of international operators, who are rushing to be part of one of the world’s most successful hospitality markets.
Dubai has also been the most sought out emirate for many since 2020, due to its strict health protocols during the pandemic, its regulated number of coronavirus cases and more.
Additionally, the emirate also offers its citizens, residents and tourists several unmissable experiences.
“The emirate has cemented its status as a city with universal appeal, in large part to the world-leading government response to the pandemic and some of the world’s most visited and incredible attractions,” Durrani said.
He added: “The accolades for Dubai keep coming – Trip Advisor’s most popular destination for 2022, the world’s busiest international airport and the highest hotel occupancy in the world, all of which strongly pointing to room for further growth and expansion of this all-important pillar in the economy.”
The report estimates that by 2030, Accor Group will cement its place as UAE’s largest hotel room operator, with close to 25,000 rooms under management, a position the group also enjoys in Saudi Arabia.
“This comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with what is set to be one of the world’s most ambitious hospitality development programmes that will see more than 275,000 hotel rooms built across the Kingdom over the course of the 2020’s at a total cost of $110 billion. The region’s transforming hospitality sector is set to create a very attractive proposition for global travellers,” Knight Frank’s head of tourism and hospitality partner Turab Saleem said.
Additionally, Durrani added Hilton Hotels will add the most rooms overall, with close to 5,000 new keys expected by the end of the decade, showing a 43 percent increase from today.
“This mirrors the group’s plans in Saudi, where Hilton hotels will emerge as the second biggest operator by 2030 with 19,000 rooms under management, around 3,000 rooms more than the group will have in the UAE by that stage,” he said.
Saleem added that the UAE’s three biggest cities – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, continue to lead the region in terms of hotel performance.
However, “Saudi Arabia’s existing cities are poised to experience a sea change in demand as Vision 2030 unfolds and business as well as leisure travel begins to overwhelm the existing supply, which will inevitably translate into heighted room rates and ADRs, at least while the existing number of keys remains inadequate for the demand yet to come,” Saleem said.
Follow us on
