Shaza Hotels recently announced the opening of the Al Badayer Oasis– a Sharjah collection lodge by Mysk.

Owned by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), Al Badayer Oasis is a desert retreat set against the dunes of central Sharjah. Shaza Hotels’ president and CEO, Simon Coombs stated: “We are delighted to expand our presence in the UAE with Al Badayer Oasis and Shurooq. This latest opening, joining two other properties- namely the Kingfisher Lodge and Al Faya Lodge in the Sharjah Collection- creates a three-in-one travel circuit for visitors to discover the culture, traditional Arabian hospitality and natural beauty of Sharjah.” Featuring 21 rooms and 10 tents and showcasing by Arabian decor, Al Badayer Oasis is designed for luxury camping experiences. Included in the facilities are a restaurant offering authentic Emirati cuisine, an all-day-dining eatery, two meeting rooms, an indoor pool and a gym. The property also comprises an amphitheatre in the heart of the Caravanserai to host live events. Al Badayer Oasis will also offer recreational activities such as quad biking, horse riding, desert safaris and camel tours.

Tourism and jobs, a better future for everyone

Welcome experience

Hoteliers can use the power of welcome throughout every facet of the guest experience, both within and beyond property borders. Welcoming strategies can be developed for different arrival times and in consideration of guest profiles. For travelers who arrive late, something comforting waiting in their rooms, may be just the welcoming feeling needed after the stress and fatigue of travel. Housekeeping teams can be trained to deliver something appropriate for any late arrival such as chamomile tea, warm cookies, and especially a welcome note acknowledging their late arrival with an offer to help make them comfortable, even at that late hour.

Call center in a hotel

A centralized office of a company that answers incoming telephone calls from customers or that makes outgoing telephone calls to customers (telemarketing, sometimes referred as a Central Reservation Office (CRO). In its simplest form, it consists of a telephone and a reservation agent. Generally, call centers have the ability to place multiple reservations at the same time through central reservation systems (CRS), usually through an 800 number. Hotel companies may have call centers that serve many different properties within the corporation. Airlines and car rental companies usually have one centralized call center in each of the different countries where they operate, all interlinked through the CRS. Centralized call centers have the advantage of providing consistent service and decreasing the company’s costs, such as management and training. Multibranded companies, however, may have different call centers and, in some cases, different CRSs within their system, mostly due to mergers and acquisitions.

Radisson Hotel Group launches multi-brand global platform

The website will comprise all hotels within the group’s portfolio RADISSON Hotel Group has launched its new multi-brand and ‘mobile-first’ global website in several launguages. The new website comprises the group’s portfolio of more than 1,100 hotels across the world. The group will also launch the Radisson Hotels mobile application by the end of July 2019, officials said. Speaking about the platform, Radisson Hotel Group’s executive vice president and global chief commercial officer Eric De Neef said: “The launch of RadissonHotels.com is a key milestone on our journey towards the top. Having one single touchpoint for all our brands will strongly enhance the user experience and drive SEO value. RadissonHotels.com is a core commercial initiative of our five-year operating plan, which is transforming our business.” The platform showcases every property from across Radisson Hotel Group’s seven distinctive brands, including the Radisson Collection, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson – as well as the art’otel brand managed by the group’s strategic partner, PPHE Hotel Group.

Hilton to open most luxury hotels in company history

Group’s luxury pipeline also includes more than 30 properties, 25 of which will open through 2025 HOSPITALITY group Hilton has announced that it will be launching more luxury properties in 2019 than in “any previous year of its 100- year history”. The group’s president and CEO Chris Nassetta said that seven hotels are expected to open by the end of 2019. This is in addition to four that have already been launched this year. Hilton’s current and projected luxury openings in 2019, which join the existing luxury properties include: Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre, Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal and Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi. The list also includes LXR and Conrad properties across the world. Hilton’s luxury pipeline also includes more than 30 properties, approximately 25 of which are expected to open through 2025, the group announced.

Lightstone Raises $70 Million for Moxy East Village

National real estate investor and developer Lightstone completed its sixth round of EB-5 investment funding, raising $70 million for the development of the company’s 286-key Marriott Moxy hotel in Manhattan’s East Village. Fundraising is already underway for Miami’s 202-key Moxy South Beach and the 744-key Moxy Downtown Los Angeles—Lightstone’s largest EB-5 funding project. Moxy East Village is set to open this fall. Conceived by Rockwell Group as a vertical timeline, each floor of the hotel draws inspiration from a different era in East Village history. The property will have four new F&B concepts by TAO Group.

Banyan Investment Group has acquired and will operate the 110-room Courtyard by Marriott Houston Pearland in Texas.

Banyan Investment Group, a hotel investment and management company that acquires and manages select-service hotels in the United States, has acquired and will operate the 110-room Courtyard by Marriott Houston Pearland in Texas. Located in the Pearland Town Center, the five-story hotel is 15 minutes from NRG Stadium (home of the NFL’s Houston Texans) and within 20 minutes of the Texas Medical Center, downtown Houston, and William P. Hobby International Airport. “We continue to seek institutional quality assets, such as the Courtyard by Marriott Houston Pearland, in major markets with numerous demand generators,” said Andy Chopra, founding principal and chief investment officer, Banyan Investment Group. “The hotel benefits from its location within Pearland Town Center, a popular mixed-used development with 937,000 square feet of open space location within the South Houston marketplace that includes 140 specialty stores, 234-unit apartment complex building, and more than 50,000 square feet of office space. The hotel requires minimal capital expenditures, and we are confident the property will achieve its economic objectives with immediate cash flow.”

East Africa's premier International Food & Agriculture exhibition

East Africa's premier International Food & Agriculture exhibition to host Exhibitors from over 20 countriesKenya's premier Food & Agriculture exhibition returns to Nairobi from 01 - 03 August, 2019. FOODAGRO AFRICA 2019 will showcase top products, equipment and machinery presented by exhibitors from over 20 countries.Building on the success of previous events, the FOODAGRO AFRICA 2019 just gets bigger and better. Also contributing is the recognition of Kenya as one of the major access point in Africa and the huge volume of imports in the country for its own consumption for over 40 million consumers. Last year, Kenya imported goods valued at $200 million and re-exported goods worth $520 million.

How to use coofee lefover (part one)

So maybe you thought you were going to drink way more coffee than you actually did. Or maybe you got so wrapped up your work that your carefully brewed cup is now a cold, abandoned mess. Don’t waste your coffee just yet. Why not reuse it? Once you know what to do with extra brewed coffee and grounds, a little too much coffee can become a delicious or useful blessing. What to Do with Leftover Coffee We’re big proponents of measuring coffee so you don’t end up with leftovers in the first place. But we’re even bigger proponents of not wasting good coffee. We did the work for you to find the best ways to use that leftover coffee up instead of pouring it down the drain.

Ascott expands global presence with 26 new properties across 11 countries

Steady rise in recurring fee income and enlarged asset size strategically position lodging business as a growing contributor to CapitaLand’s earnings. CapitaLand’s wholly owned lodging business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), is accelerating its growth globally with the signing of 26 properties with over 6,000 units across 22 cities and 11 countries. The properties, which will open in phases from 2019 to 2023, are mostly signed under management contracts, with three on franchise agreements. To date this year, Ascott has signed contracts for over 40 properties with more than 8,000 units, an increase of over 40% in units compared with the same period in 2018. Ascott has also opened 16 properties with over 2,000 units, a 70% increase in operational units compared with 2018. Mr Kevin Goh, Ascott’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are fast-expanding Ascott’s global network of properties as we continue to pursue an asset-light business model to boost our recurring fee income. While we achieve strong momentum in expanding our global lodging business through strategic alliances, management contracts, franchise and leases, we are also accelerating the number of new property openings. For the first quarter this year, our operational units have contributed S$59.7 million of fee income. We are targeting to open over 40 properties with about 8,500 units this year. For every 10,000 serviced residence units signed, we are expecting to earn approximately S$25 million in fee income annually as the properties progressively open and stabilise. Through these growth strategies, we are looking forward to the fee income boost when we achieve our target of 160,000 units worldwide by 2023.” With the recent completion of the Ascendas-Singbridge transaction, CapitaLand through Ascott has become the sponsor of both Ascott Residence Trust (Ascott Reit) and Ascendas Hospitality Trust (A-HTRUST). Including the assets held under these two hospitality trusts, lodging assets under CapitaLand are valued at S$31 billion, equivalent to 25% of the Group’s total assets under management. An announcement proposing to combine the two trusts has been made on 3 July 2019.

Accor to open first Raffles in Bahrain

Accor has announced plans to debut its luxury Raffles brand in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It will see the conversion of the luxury Al Areen Palace and Spa, pictured above, though a timeline has not been given. Accor and hotel operators GFH Financial Group said that property alterations would include the refurbishment of 56 one-bedroom Desert Pool Villas and 22 two-bedroom Royal Pool Villas. Two more dining options will be added to the current four and the 10,000 sqm spa will be renovated. Nearby venues include the Bahrain International F1 Circuit and the new Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Centre. Raffles currently has two properties in the Middle East, in Dubai and Mecca. Another is set to open in 2021, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Its other hotels are in the Cambodian cities of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap; the Chinese cities of Hainan and Shenzen; the Indonesian capital Jakarta; the Philippine capital Manila; Praslin in the Seychelles; Meradhoo Island in the Maldives; and Paris, Warsaw and Istanbul in Europe. The original Raffles hotel in Singapore, which opened in 1887, is set to reopen on August 1 following a two-year renovation. Eight new destinations are scheduled to join the brand’s portfolio in the coming years, including Udaipur in India and Boston in the US. “We are delighted to partner with GFH Financial Group, one of the leading investment houses in the Gulf region, to debut the Raffles brand in Bahrain, a destination which has emerged as a sophisticated option for discerning travellers from the Gulf and all over the world,” said Mark Willis, Accor’s CEO for the Middle East and Africa. “This continued growth signals a remarkable new chapter in the success story of Raffles, a revered global luxury brand with an illustrious history and a reputation for extraordinary properties in the world’s best cities and most sought after resort locales; the Kingdom is a natural fit for the exclusive Arabia-meets-Asia palatial retreat experience that we have planned.”