BlueBay Hotels announces three new openings in the Middle East this year

On the occasion of its participation in ATM, BlueBay Hotels held a gala dinner last Sunday 23, attended by more than 200 guests from Europe and MENA (Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan), among which were Representatives of companies in the sector and in the social and political field, such as the Minister of Tourism of Lebanon, Avedis Guidanian.

In the presentation that took place at the company’s stand at ATM, (stand HC1125) this morning, BlueBay Hotels’ Chief Commercial Officer, David García del Poyo provided a current vision of the group, outlining the growth achieved since the company began in 2011 and also setting out the group’s specific expansion plan for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), which are included in the company’s 2017-2020 Strategic Plan. Other senior profiles also attended the event with David García del Poyo, these included Ramón Hernández, CEO of BlueBay Hotand other senior executives from the company.

“Since we began in 2011 and up until the first quarter of this year, we’ve increased the number of countries where we are present by 245%. Today, we’re operating in 15 countries, and we’ve practically doubled the number of hotels, we started out with 24 and today we have 46 establishments in our portfolio, thereby, reaffirming our commitment to growth and creating value for our customers,” said García del Poyo.

The group, led by Jamal Satli Iglesias and currently manages 23,233 beds, representing a growth of 60% since 2011, expects to “have more than 60 hotels and 50,000 beds at the end of our 2017-2020 Strategic Plan,” added García del Poyo.

BlueBay Hotels Growth in the MENA

Since BlueBay Hotels began its business activity in 2011, the Spanish group has increased its presence in the MENA exponentially, going from one hotel in Dubai in 2014 to 11 establishments at the close of this year. One key factor in this growth has been the merger with the hotel group, Le Royal Hotel & Resorts, at the beginning of 2016, which meant BlueBay Hotels added four 5-star hotels in different countries in the region: in Tunisia (Le Royal Hammamet Hotel by BlueBay*****), in Morocco (Le Royal El Minzah Hotel*****), in Lebanon (Le Royal Beirut Hotel by BlueBay*****), and in Jordan (Le Royal Amman Hotel by BlueBay*****). The hotel in the Lebanon belongs to the prestigious international network The Leading Hotels of the World.

New Openings in the Middle East in 2017

Of these 11 hotels in the MENA region, eight are located in the Middle East, where BlueBay Hotels manages more than 3000 beds. The Spanish company has already opened two new hotels in 2017 and plans to open a third before the end of the year. As a result, two new hotels are now operational in Saudi Arabia: the Bluebay Makkah Grand Coral (*****), in Mecca, and the BV Al Basmah Coral Resort (***) in Jeddah. The next opening will be a grand luxury five-star hotel in Fujairah, in the UAE: the Blue Diamond Salam Palace (*****GL).

The BlueBay Makkah Grand Coral (*****) is located in Mecca, Islam’s most important holy city that is visited by millions of pilgrims each year. This hotel has 160 rooms, 20 junior suites and 20 palace suites. It also boasts a select gastronomical offering, thanks to the variety of food available at its two restaurants, Al Ferdaus and Al Bustan.

The BV Basmah Coral Resort (***) is in the Mohammadia area and well connected to the centre of Jeddah, the country’s most cosmopolitan city. This resort has 16 duplex villas and 8 chalets, all come fully equipped and with extra rooms for the driver and service person.

And last but not least, before the end of 2017, it will open the Blue Diamond Salam Palace (*****GL). Located close to the beach in the Emirate of Fujairah, the hotel offers an interesting array of water activities for tourists. It boasts 266 magnificent suites and 111 one and two bedroom apartments, and its four restaurants, La Marina, Amwaj Lounge, Aretusa, Asian and The Pearl, offer food of the highest quality with plenty of local and international dishes on offer.