TDME talks to Gavin Faull, president and chairman, Swiss-Belhotel International
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Could you highlight the key developments in the region?
The Middle East is an important market for us. We have quite a few developments across the region which includes cities such as Kuwait, Doha, Iraq and Oman. First off the development block will be The Beach Bay Hotel by Swiss-Belhotel Muscat to complete its reflagging programme in June 2012. The next is the development of the new Swiss-Belexpress Muscat scheduled to open in Q1 2013. A resort property has been signed off in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia for the Swiss-Belresort & Spa Sharma to be completed by late 2013. And finally, Swiss-Belhotel Erbil is due to open in 2013. The industry has been quite in the last two years, especially with development in the Middle East. However we are extremely positive about the region and our growth here.
How do you see the market evolving?
Dubai is a tourism hub and it is a well-marketed destination. Simultaneously, we are witnessing a lot of opportunity in Saudi Arabia. We strongly believe in the continued economic growth and implementing key practices to promote large scale quality tourism. Our first venture into the Kingdom is a direct response to the Saudi government’s significant investment into nationwide tourist infrastructure and targets new emerging regions for tourism and hospitality. We are always looking for pioneering, business and development opportunities.
Has there been a keen interest in certain properties for the Group?
We have witnessed an increased interest in our resorts. This is a growing trend globally where you see more development in the hospitality business for resorts. The new concept is also the foray of city resorts. In Asia, Bali in Indonesia is the biggest resort country while you also have Thailand. These properties attract a fair mix of both leisure and MICE market. All our properties offer facilities to cater to both segments. We are of the opinion that both segments complement each other.
How do you see the Group’s enhancing its booking strategy?
The trade is an important aspect of our business and will continue. However, we do see that the penetration of the Internet is growing and more companies are moving online. As per industry research, in another 10 years, all bookings will be done through the Internet. We have also seen that from 8-10 of our key resorts globally we receive around 30% which comes from direct booking. Focusing on certain markets, there are some markets like Vietnam which are still very strongly dependant on the travel agents while slowly adapting to the online space. As a Group, we have also enhanced our e-commerce team and offerings. In this regards, we will soon be launching our mobile website, which would be a global roll out.