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Vision 2030 will have a positive impact on tourism and hospitality, resulting in a significant increase in the number of leisure travelers.

Norbet Borszcz

General Manager, InterContinental Hotel Jeddah

In summer, while King Salman and Prince Mohammed Bin Salman are in the western provinces of the Kingdom, the InterContinental Jeddah usually runs the operation with a high occupancy, with 2018 performing even slightly above 2017. However, in terms of the outlook for the remainder of 2018, we expect a drop from the beginning of September due to the departure of the Royal family back to Riyadh. Business in 4Q2018 will be driven mainly by corporate business, where I expect the average occupancy for Jeddah hotels to be around 60%. Around 75% of our valued guests are from GCC countries, with the others coming from around the world, mainly Europe, Asia, and North America. Guests of the InterContinental are considered luxury business travelers who have high expectations of brand standards, services, and facilities. InterContinental has decades-long experience in ensuring that its guests enjoy not only the InterContinental Jeddah, but also the almost 200 InterContinental hotels around the world in 65 different countries.

Malik A. Alturki

General Manager, Rafa

Rafa has two brands, Rafa and Rafa Home, with Rafa focusing on the premium segment of the market. Rafa Home roughly translates to a two-star hotel residence, while Rafa is four star. In Riyadh, we have seven facilities, mostly located in the north. Several of these aparthotels are located next to universities, and our target is to get the most of the travelling academic staff. Both Rafa and Rafa Homes are equipped with modern furniture and are to the latest standards. We provide both short- and long-term leases and are open to tourist travelers as we expect more to come. In September 2019, we aim to open our Dubai facilities, two towers overlooking the canal. One of the towers will be for holiday homes and the other will be a five-star hotel. In Dubai, we operate under the name Durar Properties and the tower will be called J ONE.

Bassam K. Ammar

General Manager, Bassam K. Ammar

Our hotel in recent months has witnessed positive growth in RevPar supported by occupancy driven by corporate and long stays. We are the number-one choice for corporate businesses seeking a five-star hotel and services at competitive prices. Growth will continue, and we expect a healthy and promising 4Q2018 in general due to our competitive advantage as we are the closest to Aramco. We have the biggest rooms in town. We are also the preferred choice for long-staying guests, weekenders, and leisure travelers. Our brand Crowne Plaza is a great advantage, as it can easily compete with upper-scale business categories. According to market research, I believe the area is in need of the Crowne Plaza brand, which delivers different meeting and conference facilities. True hospitality and luxury is in the emotion and at Crowne Plaza Al Khobar, we are keen to create highly energized teams that are empowered and consumed to provide our guests a memorable experience and leverage their talents to deliver an extremely outstanding result.

Dr. Badr Al Badr

CEO, Dur Hospitality

Dur Hospitality is one of the Kingdom’s leading hospitality firms with a history spanning some 42 years. We are committed to supporting the government’s ambitious tourism targets, which present exciting opportunities for the hotel industry, and are therefore expanding our portfolio of properties to cater to both the non-religious and religious tourism sectors. Our Makarem Hotels brand is rising to the vision’s challenge of attracting 30 million Umrah visitors by 2030. It delivers a unique style of spiritual hospitality, fulfilling the changing needs of local and international guests. We are also renovating the Makarem Ajyad Makkah Hotel near the Holy Mosque and expanding Makarem Ajyad Makkah. Besides, we are developing properties in key destinations where domestic and international tourism is expected to boom, working in partnership with some of the world’s leading hotel operators.

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