The Rotana chain plans to open a dozen new hotels from Istanbul to Abu Dhabi by the end of next year.
It will add 12 hotels accounting for 3,360 rooms to its existing portfolio. These include Boulevard Arjaan by Rotana in Amman, Sedra Residences by Rotana in Qatar and ART Rotana in Bahrain by the year’s end. Hotels scheduled to open next year are Capital Centre Arjaan by Rotana and Capital Centre Rotana in Abu Dhabi; Banader Rotana in Bahrain; Burgu Arjaan by Rotana and the hotel apartments Tango Arjaan by Rotana in Istanbul; City Centre Rotana and the Centro Doha in Qatar; Rosh Rayhaan by Rotana in Riyadh; and Amman Rotana.
By 2020, it also expects to enter Iran and expand in Sudan.
Rotana currently manages 12,607 rooms across 47 properties mostly in the UAE and the Gulf. In Abu Dhabi, it manages seven hotels and four hotel apartments. The hotel sector is booming in the Middle East and Africa region with 637 properties in the pipeline accounting for 151,205 rooms as of September, according to STR Global.
This year, 139 hotels with 33,232 rooms have opened in the region with another 82 hotels with 18,538 rooms expected to be completed before January. At least half of these are in the upscale to luxury segments.
Next year, 145 hotels with 32,371 rooms should open their doors, STR said. The French operator Accor has 34 hotels under development across 10 countries in the Middle East. It currently manages 66 hotels in the region.
Also last month, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) signed a deal with the Dubai-based Abjar Hotels International to manage the 450-room Holiday Inn Dubai World Central and 250-room Staybridge Suites Dubai World Central.
IHG expects to open nine hotels in the next five years, including InterContinental Dubai Marina and Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina.
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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Available: Now
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Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
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Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
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Investors: Founder's friends and Family
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
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Sector: FinTech, wealth management
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