Over 500 hotels coming up in the Middle East

dubai - The busiest year for hotel openings leading up to 2020 is forecast to be 2017

There are 541 new hotels in the pipeline across the Middle East, with 180 projects due in the UAE alone, the Middle East Hotel Construction Overview report has revealed.

Prepared by Tophotelprojects exclusively for The Hotel Show Dubai 2016, the report forecasts that the majority of new hotel rooms will open before 2020. The busiest year for hotel openings leading up to 2020 is forecast to be 2017, with 189 projects and 58,527 rooms.

Notable hotel openings scheduled for 2017 include the world's largest hotel in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, with 10,000 rooms, and the world's first Paramount Hotels & Resorts property - the Paramount Hotel in Dubai.

The report also noted that the 541 hotels in the pipeline will bring an additional 158,950 hotel rooms to the region. Saudi Arabia follows closely behind the UAE as the most active hotel construction hotspot in the region with 134 projects.

"That is a lot of bedrooms, bathrooms, windows, doors, terraces, restaurants, pools, spas, gyms, and much more to be fit out and equipped over the next five years," said Gary Williams, event director of The Hotel Show Dubai.

Taking place from September 17 to 19 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the 17th edition of The Hotel Show will run at the same time as the Windows, Doors & Façades Event, and Intersolar Middle East. The events will address all aspects of hotel construction, including external or facade design, as well as sustainability through the use of solar energy. The event will also provide a selection of sourcing, networking and educational forums for professionals interested in hotel construction in the Middle East.

2017 is slated to be an interesting year for the hotel industry as the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is set to open Dubai's first 100 per cent solar-powered hotel. In addition, Rezidor has announced the signing of three new hotels in the UAE, two of which will open their doors in 2017.

Pascal Gauvin, chief operating officer for the Emea region at IHG, said: "Hotel Indigo Dubai The Sustainable City is a unique project designed to be integrated into an entirely sustainable community, and to meet the highest environmental, social and commercial sustainability standards. As a brand, Hotel Indigo is a direct reflection of its surroundings and in this case, the hotel's first commitment to its neighbourhood was a net zero energy building where solar power will meet 100 per cent of the hotel's energy needs. We see this project as a potential future trend, perhaps encouraging more hotels of its kind and more usage of solar energy."

"The UAE is a key strategic market for us. Dubai, the world's fourth most-visited city in 2015 with 14.2 million overnight visitors, has been on an unprecedented growth journey for the last decade. The emirate's ambition is to hit 20 million visitors by 2020, and position the country as both a world-class business and leisure destination. We want to contribute to the ongoing journey and support this fast-growing sector together with our experienced regional partners," said Wolfgang M. Neumann, president and CEO of Rezidor.

The Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Waterfront will open its doors during Q1 2017; followed by the Park Inn by Radisson Resort Ras Al Khaimah Marjan Island in Q2 2017; while the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Canal View will welcome guests from Q1 2018.

"With these three new signings, we are adding over 1,000 rooms to our portfolio in the UAE, and further improving our brand awareness in the country, while expanding our offering to guests and further improving the business efficiencies to our investment partners," said Elie Younes, executive vice-president and chief development officer of The Rezidor Hotel Group.

- rohma@khaleejtimes.com