Travel & Hotels

Dubai, September 19, 2012:Emrill, the leading Facilities Management company in the UAE, today announced the signing of a contract with Oceana, a luxury Palm Jumeirah beachfront residential and resort development managed by Asteco.

With this agreement, Emrill will provide Oceana with security serviceswhich include surveillance, CCTV operations, patrolling and access control. The contract will also deliver Emrill’s highly trained and reputed Concierge service to the community providing residents with reception services, local and community information.

Jon Simmonds, Owners’ Association member at the Oceana, Palm Jumeirah said: "The Interim Owners Association Board, Asteco and Seven Tides conducted an exhaustive selection process before deciding upon Emrill.They offered vast experience of managing and securing large community environments and crucially offered all stakeholders a flexible and carefully tailored solution to meet our exacting requirements. Although Emrill personnel have only been on site a short time the positive impact of their presence has been immediate.”

Mokhtar: New Anjum Hotels’ portal serves as handy tool to provide travelers with information about new construction milestones of Jabal Al Kaaba project in Makkah and latest corporate news

Jeddah, September 19, 2012 – The travel and tourism sector in Saudi Arabia has been one of the most active users of the internet as a strategic marketing tool to drive business growth, taking advantage of the increasing number of internet users in the Kingdom that has now reached more than 9.8 million. Recent statistics have shown that internet penetration in the Kingdom has now reached 38 per cent, with 54 per cent of the online population reported to be very active internet users compared to just 43 per cent and 42 per cent in the UK and USA, respectively.

Accordingly, several corporations, government institutions as well as small and medium enterprises in KSA are also increasingly integrating online and social media tools in their marketing strategies. Developing interactive corporate websites, in particular, remains an effective way of engaging target audiences online as websites serve as an easily accessible and versatile platform to disseminate information, introduce new products and services and maintain an open communication line with the public.

Rixos Hotels offer an enticing Mediterranean get-away this Eid Al Adha in the world’s most enchanting city- Istanbul.  Rixos Pera Istanbul and Rixos Elysium Suites Taksim, two remarkably breathtaking destinations in the heart of the historic capital, located in Beyoglu and Taksim, respectively, host Eid packages unrivaled by any others. 

While both hotels are awe-inspiring in their beauty, each is emblematic of two starkly contrasting styles. Whereas the Rixos Pera Istanbul follows the ageless motif of classic luxury and opulence, Rixos Elysium Suites Taksim exudes the contemporary, aesthetic bliss of modern Istanbul. So, whether you prefer old-city charm or metropolitan trendy, Rixos provides identical indulgent packages at both hotels this upcoming Eid between the 24th and the 29th of October.

Treat enters its final leg with the highly anticipated competition featuring young chefs from leading UAE hotels

Dubai, UAE September 17, 2012 – The much-anticipated BurJuman Junior Chef 2012 kicks off tomorrow, as ‘Treat’ – the BurJuman World Food Fest 2012 enters its final leg.

The concluding highlight of the Treat agenda, the BurJuman Junior Chef 2012 will take place from September 18th – 22nd.

The competition will see a total of 300 participants from more than 40 hotels battle it out in a series of creative challenges. Starting off with competitive rounds on Emirati cuisine on day one, September 18th, popular dishes that are typical of the UAE will be brought to light in new and inventive ways by some of the leading culinary talent in the country.

Dubai’s leading etiquette school’s inspiring and informative workshops on table settings and culinary etiquette prove highly popular among food festival visitors

Dubai, UAE September 15, 2012 – From picking out the appropriate cutlery to creative ways to dress up the dining table and tips to play the perfect host and guest, Finishing Touch, Dubai’s leading etiquette school – supported by lifestyle stores Villeroy & Boch and The One – has been dishing out practical advice to visitors at ‘Treat’ in a series of highly popular daily ‘Table Setting & Culinary Etiquette’ workshops taking place until September 17th.

Per diem rates up as GCC budget surplus fuels massive infrastructure projects – puts executives back in the air, says organiser of GIBTM
High oil prices, a growing non-oil economy and major investment in transport and power infrastructure projects are driving business travel in the Gulf region once again.

“According to analysis by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, GCC budgets doubled in 2011 producing a $106.7 billion budget surplus, and that was after a 19.3% increase in public spending over the previous year,” said Lois Hall, Exhibition Manager, for GIBTM, the leading platform for the incentive, business travel and meetings industry in the Middle East, which takes place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) on 25-27 March 2013.

“Clearly money is available to fund these and future infrastructure projects, driving the non-oil economy, which is now generating around 14% of total GCC revenues and helping to diversify its economies,” added Hall.

One such non-oil economic sector that is clearly benefiting from increased commercial activity is aviation and hospitality, particularly from corporate travelers, keen to tap into region’s business markets as business opportunities in some of the more mature economies dry-up.

Now in its seventh year, the Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) attracts in excess of 2,400 industry professionals each year. New for the 2013 edition, and in response to increasing demand for business travel services in the region, GIBTM has launched its first dedicated Business Travel Pavilion.
The show also hosts 300 regional and international senior level buyers with a combined budget of over $827 million, who through 7,600 pre-scheduled appointments over the two and a half-day exhibition, meet with more than 350 exhibitors from 36 different countries.

New video series reveals ‘The Art of The Craft’ behind the memories

CHEVY CHASE, Maryland, September 6, 2012: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. has pulled back the curtains to their highly coveted luxury service organization, and placed the spotlight on their ladies and gentlemen in a video series entitled ‘The Art of The Craft”.

“At The Ritz-Carlton, we specialize in creating memories for our guests at every touch point of their experience. From concierge services, to housekeeping, to our shoe shine valets, there is a significant amount of dedicated craftsmanship and care that goes into making memories for the discerning world traveler,” stated Herve Humler, President and Chief Operations Officer, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. “The Art of The Craft films center on how significantly the craftsmanship of true professionals can impact your experience with our brand, and just what goes into being a lady or gentleman of The Ritz-Carlton.”

In the new digital video series, the camera’s focus is on a particular lady or gentlemen representing a specific profession within the organization. In the first videos released from a series of ten, we meet a culinary master, a housekeeper and a shoe-shiner. They share details of the role they play within The Ritz-Carlton and the opportunity they have to make a difference to a guest’s experience, beyond the expected.

•    Tangram Hotels identifies gap in business travellers’ market and introduces smart midscale hotels in major business hubs.

Beijing, 2012,TangramHotels, a newly launchedinternational hotel brand originally established in Beijing is becoming the latestmember to join the midscale business hotel scene after its launch last month.

With an ambitious expansion plan, Tangram Hotels is currently looking at opportunities in many business hubs including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Doha, Riyadh, Cairo, Tripoli, Fez, Nairobi, and Casablanca among other first and second tier cities of the Middle East and Africa region, to introduce its novel concept of smart hotels together with like-minded partners and investors.

With operations recently established in Erbil, the hotel brand is looking deeply at the specific needs of business travellers, as it was created to bring new life to the midscale hotel landscape, a hotel concept with high standards and a meaningful, intuitive design offering a functional and customizable experience for business travellers.