Luxury hotel chain Viceroy Hotel Group, which is 50-per-cent owned by UAE investment firm Mubadala Development, aims to develop several hotels in key cities across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia in the next 10 years through their second home base in Abu Dhabi.
Currently, Viceroy manages around 14 high-end hotels and resorts in the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean, but will soon launch operations outside the Americas starting with its Viceroy Maldives project scheduled to be open towards the end of 2010. The property is being developed by Maldives-based hotel developer EoN Resorts, in partnership with Mubadala.
Its next overseas stop will be the Viceroy Abu Dhabi, which at the moment is in the planning stage, although top executives hinted at a possible opening date sometime in 2013.
Jason S. Herthel, Senior Vice-President, Project Development of Viceroy Hotel Group, told Alrroya.com that their Abu Dhabi office will oversee future projects to be developed in the Middle East, as well as neighbouring regions such as Europe, Africa and Asia.
He added that they plan to have a strong presence in the UAE capital beginning with the establishment of a corporate office – their first outside the US, followed by the development of Viceroy Abu Dhabi to be located in Sowwah Island, where the new Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange will also be built.
Viceroy, which manages two other posh accommodation brands – The Tides and Urban Retreats, is looking into expanding their portfolio by about 10-12 hotels over the course of five to seven years, Herthel said. With these projects in the pipeline, the luxury hotel chain hopes to more than double its assets to at least 25 hotels and resorts by 2016.
“Virtually all of [our] new hotels coming online will be outside of the Americas. And all of them will be serviced by the corporate office in Abu Dhabi,” Herthel said.
Abu Dhabi hotel rooms to nearly double
According to Jones Lang LaSalle’s (JLL) latest report on the Abu Dhabi property market, hotel supply in the emirate is expected to grow by over 96 per cent by the end of 2013 from the current level of 13,500 rooms to an estimated 26,500.
This increase will be simultaneous with recent development activities in Yas Island, Al Raha Beach and Saadiyat Island, all aimed at transforming the capital into a popular tourism destination within the next four years.
Tourist arrivals have been projected to post an annual average growth of over 9 per cent from 1.5 million in 2009 to 3 million in 2015. JLL mentioned that business travel and MICE (meetings, incentives, conference and exhibitions) sectors currently fuel over 60 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s tourism market, with leisure tourism still generally under-served.
Despite the expected influx of hotel rooms in Abu Dhabi in the near future, Herthel remains confident that the Viceroy brand could offer an alternative hotel experience to discerning guests.
He said all Viceroy properties “bring in a sense of local flavour,” offering a distinct ambience, as well as definitive style and design that are appreciated by their clients, about two-thirds of which consist of affluent travelers under the age of 44.
“If you look at the Viceroy Miami, for example, you could see a bit of Miami flare and style into the design because of the way we use textile, colours and patterns, something that you might not see in a more traditional five –star luxury hotel,” he explained.
Such philosophy will also be incorporated in the planning and designing of their forthcoming property in Abu Dhabi, he said without giving additional information.
“We see a medium to long-term growth in Abu Dhabi’s tourism market with the development of attractions such as Louvre and the Guggenheim Museum, as well as the growth of Etihad Airways,” says Herthel.
New hotel classification system
Meanwhile, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (Adta) announced this week plans to revise its existing hotel classification system in order to recognise luxurious establishments that exceed five-star requirements.
State news agency Wam quoted Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Adta Chairman, as saying that the agency has been working on expanding the system in order “to include a new category which will, more accurately, represent properties deemed as above five-star.”
The new guidelines for the hotel classification system is expected to be implemented “in the New Year,” according to Sheikh Sultan.
The tourism agency will also introduce a Green Hotel Building Guidelines in the next two weeks as part of its sustainable tourism project, ensuring that hotel properties within Abu Dhabi are on a par with the world’s greenest hotels.
Consider also reading:
Abu Dhabi property undersupply to ease soon
Abu Dhabi targets 10 pct tourism growth by year-end
Abu Dhabi's tourism industry maturing
Yas named World's Leading Tourism Project
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