Hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai record a surge in revenues as tourists flock to the UAE

HotStats MENA Chain Hotels Market Review January 2014

Hotels in Abu Dhabi posted double digit growth in Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) in January on the back of strong growth in occupancy levels and Average Room Rates (ARR), according to the latest HotStats survey of full-service hotels in five MENA cities by TRI Hospitality Consulting.

Abu Dhabi hotels reported a 7.6% growth in ARR to US$165.07 in January, while occupancy climbed 5.4 percentage points to 74.7%. The combined effects of a rise in both performance indicators drove RevPAR growth by an impressive 16.0% and closed the month at US$123.37. The increase in Average Room Rates was primarily driven by the corporate and conferencing segments as a result of demand generated from high profile events such as the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. The growth in the top line, combined with a 2.6 percentage point drop in payroll costs, resulted in a 35.9% surge in profit margins during the month as the Gross Operating Profit Per Available Room (GOPPAR) reached US$86.88.

"January is typically a robust month of performance for hotels in Abu Dhabi and this year was no exception as continued growth was seen across all key indicators. According to Abu Dhabi Airports Company, Abu Dhabi International Airport received 1,564,266 passengers in January, marking a rise of 14.5 percent from the previous year that corresponded to the continued expansion of Etihad Airways. In addition to benefitting from international passenger growth, Abu Dhabi also hosted a number of high profile events that boosted international visitor numbers. A series of packages were developed for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, as hotels partnered with other travel industry members to cultivate the golf travel segment and strengthen Abu Dhabi's foothold as an international golf destination" commented Peter Goddard, Managing Director of TRI Hospitality Consulting in Dubai.

Record-high air passenger traffic helped hotels in Dubai maintain robust performance levels during the month of January. Occupancy levels in Dubai reached 86.3% and ARR increased by 10.8% to US$402.15 during the month, boosting RevPAR by 9.5% to US$347.17. Higher average rates were largely attributed to higher yield from the leisure segment, as visitors took advantage of holidays such as the Orthodox Christmas and New Year and the extended New Year break in China. The growth in the top line revenues, coupled with a decline in operating expenses, drove an increase in profits during the month as GOPPAR reached US$302.94, up by 10.4% over the same period in 2013.

"Hotels in Dubai successfully yielded higher average rates on the back of strong leisure demand during the month of January. The growth in hotel performance also came in the wake of a number of key occasions including the Orthodox Christmas and New Year which attract substantial demand from Russia and the CIS market. In addition, the annual Dubai Shopping Festival occurred throughout the entire month of January and based upon initial estimates saw a 5.0 to 10.0% rise in shoppers, with the GCC and East Asia maintaining their position as the top source markets", commented Goddard.

Riyadh and Kuwait experience lower revenue and profitability levels as corporate demand subsides in January

Doha hotels reported a 10.9 percentage point growth in occupancy in January and closed the month with an average occupancy of 70.5%, however, ARR dropped 1.2% to US$225.37. RevPAR witnessed impressive growth of 16.9% to US$158.91 solely driven by the double digit rise in occupancy levels. The growth in guests contributed to a 16.9% rise in food and beverage profits, which reached US$74.7 per available room. Overall, hotels in Doha reported a 14.0% growth in Total Revenue Per Available Room (TRevPAR) and coupled with a reduction in payroll costs, profitability surged 24.2% to US$156.21.

"The increase in profit levels experienced by the hotels during January was attributed to stronger room revenues as a result of increased demand in January. Additionally, a rise in food and beverage consumption which comprised 44.5% of total revenues further impacted the bottom line. However, rising competition in the city continues to impede further growth in profits as new entrants launch aggressive strategies in order to penetrate the market", commented Peter Goddard, Managing Director of TRI Hospitality Consulting.

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HotStats MENA Chain Hotels Market Review January 2014

This map shows the location of an explosion and fire in a Santa Ana motel for which a man has been sentenced to 33 years to life. (Bing)

March 3, 2014, 7:54 a.m.

A man was sentenced to 33 years to life in state prison for causing an explosion that started a fire in a Santa Ana motel room, according to authorities.

In addition to his prison time, Thanh Van Quang, 39, was ordered to pay more than $177,000 in restitution, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

A jury found him guilty last October of arson of an inhabited property and illegal possession of flammable material, the Huntington Beach Independent reported.

On Nov. 30, 2012, Quang was arguing with the manager at the Pueblo Motel in Santa Ana about inviting guests into his room, according to prosecutors.

Authorities said he later walked to a nearby gas station, bought a fuel canister and filled it with a gallon of gasoline before returning to his motel room.

Quang then caused an explosion in the room, which started a fire and damaged his and neighboring rooms, prosecutors said.

In 1998, Quang was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, assault with a firearm and two counts of robbery, according to prosecutors.

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Man gets 33 years to life for explosion, fire in Santa Ana motel room

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February 28, 2014 | 2:34 p.m.

A Fountain Valley man was sentenced to 33 years to life in state prison for causing an explosion that started a fire in a motel room, according to authorities.

In addition to his prison time, Thanh Van Quang, 39, was ordered to pay more than $177,000 in restitution, according to a press statement from the Orange County district attorney's office.

A jury found him guilty Oct. 30, 2013, on one count each of arson of an inhabited property and possession of a flammable material.

Last year's incident marked the fifth conviction for Quang. He had four strikes in 1998 for voluntary manslaughter, assault with a firearm and two counts of robbery, according to the statement.

On Nov. 30, 2012, Quang was arguing with the manager at the Pueblo Motel in Santa Ana about the defendant inviting guests in his room.

He later walked to a nearby gas station, bought a fuel canister and filled it with a gallon of gasoline before he returned to his motel room.

Quang then caused an explosion in the room, which started a fire and damaged his room and neighboring rooms.

Anthony Clark Carpio

Twitter: @acocarpio

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Man sentenced in motel room explosion

A Better Guest Experience Join Complimentary Webinar To Be Presented March 26, 2014

Is providing a clean room and complimentary newspaper enough today? For some, it may be a good start, but guests today are discerning, sophisticated, and have more choices than ever for their lodging needs. In addition to the fundamentals that every guest expects as a minimum, hospitality organizations need to be smarter about their execution by delivering an exceptional experience.

According to the J.D. Power 2013 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, the number of interactions guests have with hotel staff may have an impact on satisfaction, as guests who interact with four or more staff types, excluding the check-in staff, gave an average of 856 points, 79 points higher than the industry average. Conversely, satisfaction dropped to 53 points below the industry average when guests have no interaction with staff beyond check in.

The Service Optimization solutions, HotSOS, REX and PMWorks, from Newmarket International, Inc. ("Newmarket"), the proven business solutions provider for empowering hospitality organizations to lower costs and increase revenue, while improving customer satisfaction and guest loyalty, are the ideal tools to give guests what they want. A clean room, hot water, and an on-time wake-up call are essentials, but guests want their needs to be anticipated and requests swiftly executed.

HotSOS automates and tracks preventive maintenance, service orders, and guest requests. With intelligent guest matching, profiling, and stay history features, guest information is always "at your fingertips." And, since HotSOS in enterprise-enabled and delivered via the Internet, staff members can anticipate guest needs and be more proactive because unique automation provides the right information, right when they need it.

By making the room assignment and cleaning process quick and easy, REX uses data from multiple systems in ways to help get guests to the rooms faster. First, it gathers information from the Property Management System (PMS) and other systems to intelligently assign rooms and provide room attendants with the next most important room to clean. Second, it communicates valuable client information such as name, stay details, and room setup preferences to room attendants, so they can enhance the guest experience.

With PMWorks, maintenance staff can focus on completing open orders. Properties do not necessarily need a sophisticated tool to manage maintenance. PMWorks allows properties to create and maintain a standardized preventive maintenance program for all venues in an organization. The program can even include brand standards for frequency of maintenance and special inspections that need to be done throughout the year. This level of detail proves valuable not only in legal cases, but also serves as a competitive advantage for brands.

Service Optimization solutions from Newmarket enable hospitality organizations to run at optimal efficiency and help create a "home away from home" experience that guests expect. They also have the tools to create personalized, unique experiences that go beyond the expected, resulting in guest loyalty and years of repeat business.

Please join Newmarket for a complimentary webinar on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 1pm EST to learn more about the Service Optimization solutions provided by HotSOS, REX and PMWorks. Register today!

Since 1985, Newmarket International, Inc. ("Newmarket") continues to deliver proven business solutions for empowering hospitality organizations to lower costs and increase revenue, while improving customer satisfaction and guest loyalty. With more than 40,000 installations and 150,000 users in over 154 countries worldwide, Newmarket technologies are a cornerstone in the global hospitality industry. Offering solutions for sales & marketing automation, customer relationship management, catering & events, guest loyalty, meeting intelligence, workflow management, and property maintenance, Newmarket enables hospitality professionals to work smarter and better manage all aspects of their transient, leisure, groups and meetings business. For more information on Newmarket, please visit http://www.newmarketinc.com.

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Newmarket Service Optimization Solutions Deliver A Better Guest Experience

The Osseo City Council moved forward with the concept to put an addition onto City Hall that would house the Police Department.

The council also discussed the removal of snow from residential sidewalks at its meeting Monday, Feb. 24.

POLICE ADDITION

Modris Feders, Principal Architect with Buetow 2 Architects, brought to the council the schematic design for the proposed police addition to City Hall. The council previously authorized Buetow to prepare the design back Jan. 13.

The cost of the addition to City Hall for the police department is estimated to be $878,000. These costs include the addition to the City Hall building, removal of the existing police building and reconfiguring the parking lot.

The project would consist of a 3,463-square-foot addition onto the City Hall building on the west side. This proposal would put police and other city departments, community center and library all under one roof. This police addition would house a garage for three police cars, a waiting area, booking and photo area, reception area, an open office, police chiefs office, conference room, kitchen and emergency operations center.

The addition would allow the two current public entrances to not change and remain open as well.

Feders said the proposal would keep the appearance the same at City Hall. The curb cut for one of the drive entrances to the parking area would be then used for the squad garage entrance/exit. The electrical and plumbing infrastructure would be tied into the new addition. The existing bathrooms in City Hall would also serve the new addition.

Also, part of the project would be to use 1,660-square-feet of the lower level in City Hall that is currently used for storage. This level would house the mens and womens locker rooms, storage and supply area, evidence space and armory area.

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Osseo moves forward with police addition to City Hall

Wright City, MO (PRWEB) February 27, 2014

Goodtime Medical announces the addition of Complete Custom Exam Rooms, from cabinetry to exam tables and computer desks. There are multiple color options to choose from to make that exam room yours.

Research reveals that specific design changes in healthcare environments can reduce stress and alleviate the consequences of that stress. An aesthetically pleasing environment will help alleviate stress on the patient in the doctors office making them feel more comfortable and more relaxed. This can also help prevent medical errors while improving staff morale and efficiency.

Goodtime Medical is located in Wright City Missouri, just outside St. Louis Missouri and has been in business since 1996. For more information about the tables and Goodtime Medical, please visit the website at http://www.examtables.com or call at 888-386-8225.

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Goodtime Medical Announces the Addition of Complete Custom Exam Rooms

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RAMALLAH, West Bank A Gaza teen stabbed to death by her brother while she prayed in her room has become the latest addition to a grim statistic: Palestinian women killed by relatives, often for allegedly shaming the family.

Twenty-six women were slain by relatives in the West Bank and Gaza in 2013, twice as many as the year before, according to official figures. The rise stems from mounting economic difficulties in the Palestinian territories, compounded by ongoing leniency for those killing in the name of "family honor" and social acceptance of violence against women, women's rights activists said Wednesday.

They urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to repeal sections of a penal code that allows for short sentences of at most a few years for the perpetrators. Abbas suspended one article of the code in 2011, but others remain on the books, said Hanan Ashrawi, a senior PLO official and former legislator.

Ashrawi said she repeatedly has urged Abbas to adopt legal reforms, especially of articles that discriminate against women, but so far to no avail. She said she last met with Abbas in November, but that he referred the matter again to his legal adviser.

She said that male politicians often brush aside women's concerns, with the argument that more important issues are at stake, such as ending Israeli occupation and establishing a Palestinian state.

Ashrawi said archaic laws harming women also undercut Palestinian aspirations. "We are fighting for freedom and human dignity," she said. "How can you deprive women of all these things?"

Abbas aides, including his adviser on legal affairs, did not return requests for comment.

So-called honor killings are committed regularly in traditional Arab societies that enforce strict gender separation and view an unmarried women's unsupervised contact with a man as a stain on the family reputation.

The most recent killing was carried out Saturday in the town of Bani Suheila in southern Gaza, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, which cited a police report.

The victim was identified as 18-year-old Islam al-Shami. The girl was stabbed in the neck with a kitchen knife while she was praying in her room, the rights group said. Her 21-year-old brother was arrested and later told police he killed his sister to defend the family honor, according to the rights group.

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Number of Palestinian women killed by relatives has doubled in a year, official figures show

A Gaza teen stabbed to death by her brother while she prayed in her room has become the latest addition to a grim statistic: Palestinian women killed by relatives, often for allegedly shaming the family.

Twenty-six women were slain by relatives in the West Bank and Gaza in 2013, twice as many as the year before, according to official figures. The rise stems from mounting economic difficulties in the Palestinian territories, compounded by ongoing leniency for those killing in the name of family honour and social acceptance of violence against women, womens rights activists said Wednesday.

They urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to repeal sections of a penal code that allows for short sentences of at most a few years for the perpetrators. Abbas suspended one article of the code in 2011, but others remain on the books, said Hanan Ashrawi, a senior PLO official and former legislator.

Ashrawi said she repeatedly has urged Abbas to adopt legal reforms, especially of articles that discriminate against women, but so far to no avail. She said she last met with Abbas in November, but that he referred the matter again to his legal adviser.

She said that male politicians often brush aside womens concerns, with the argument that more important issues are at stake, such as ending Israeli occupation and establishing a Palestinian state.

Ashrawi said archaic laws harming women also undercut Palestinian aspirations. We are fighting for freedom and human dignity, she said. How can you deprive women of all these things?

Abbas aides, including his adviser on legal affairs, did not return requests for comment.

So-called honour killings are committed regularly in traditional Arab societies that enforce strict gender separation and view an unmarried womens unsupervised contact with a man as a stain on the family reputation.

The most recent killing was carried out Saturday in the town of Bani Suheila in southern Gaza, according to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, which cited a police report.

The victim was identified as 18-year-old Islam al-Shami. The girl was stabbed in the neck with a kitchen knife while she was praying in her room, the rights group said. Her 21-year-old brother was arrested and later told police he killed his sister to defend the family honour, according to the rights group.

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Number of Palestinian women killed by relatives doubles