By Mohammad Shoeb
DOHA: Qatar’s hospitality and tourism sector is very promising and there are huge opportunities of investments to fill the demand-supply gap, especially in the niche market segment, say leading hoteliers and industry experts.
“The Qatari economy, especially the hospitality and tourism sector, is constantly growing beyond people’s expectations. There are huge opportunities of investments as the market is growing fast,” said Sheikh Turki bin Faissal Al Thani, Chairman of of Al Sawari Holding, one of the fastest growing companies in the sector.
“As far as the apprehensions related to the growing number of hotels are concerned, we believe that there are still great opportunities and gaps in the market. Similar concerns (of over-supply) were raised during the Asian Games when most of the existing hotels and properties were developed,” said Sheikh Turki at a press conference held yesterday to unveil the design and architectural elements of the upcoming ‘Aiana Suites and Residences’ in Doha.
Sheikh Turki added that people at that time were also asking same questions whether Qatar’s population will ever surpass the one million mark, and what will be the future of all the big hotels and malls (that were being developed at that time) after the games.
“So, as long as the population and the economy are growing, people will continue to demand for more and better options.”
‘Aiana Suites and Residences is a 180 key luxury property being developed with an estimated cost of over QR500m by the Doha-based Al Sawari Holding. The property, located in West Bay, is expected to open by the year-end. It will be managed by Doha’s Aiana Hotels & Resorts.
Present at the press briefing were Amruda Nair, Joint Managing Director and CEO of Aiana Hotels & Resorts and Mohammad Shafiek, Managing Director of Al Sawari Holding.
Amruda was also very upbeat about Qatar’s hospitality and tourism industry. She said:
“The year-on-year growth of this sector has not witnessed a slowdown compared to other large cities in the region. The primary reason for this is that the demand for hotels rooms and suites in Qatar are continuing to grow due to various economic activities such as international seminars, conferences, exhibitions among others.”
In comparison to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Doha market is still in the early stage in terms of life cycle, and there is a long way to go. “Some analysts say that eventually the supply will overtake the demand in the sector, but we haven’t seen that as yet, so I am very optimistic about the growth,” she said.
The Company also announced Aiana’s plans to open a 611-room hotel in the Holy City of Makkah, which is scheduled to open in Q3 2016. AianaMakkah will now be the first Aiana property to welcome guests. “One year ago, we envisioned to create a global hospitality brand that will fulfil a gap in the market for experience driven, lifestyle oriented accommodation and service offerings that are locally relevant and accessible”, added Sheikh Turki.
“With seven properties launched across the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East within a short span of less than a year, our vision is fast taking shape. I am confident that with launch of our hotels in Makkah and Doha in 2016, guests from around the world will be delighted to experience our unique ‘Hospitality 2.0’ promise that is aimed at offering innovative service in a smart, stimulating environment.”
Aiana Hotels & Resorts L.L.C is a global hotel management company with an Indian service ethos that is fast evolving as a leading operator of hotels, resorts and serviced apartments in the Middle East, Indian Sub-Continent and South East Asia.The Peninsula
