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Rotana Hotels

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Latest Rotana Hotels DevelopmentsAI Insights

Rotana recently unveiled a strategy to expand its global presence, opening a casino resort in Georgia in 2026. The Pontus Rotana Resort & Spa, Gonio, developed with Pontus Capital, will feature 600 keys and a grand casino to boost the region’s tourism industry1.

The company's plans for Saudi Arabia include eight new hotels over four years, increasing its key count to 4,400 across 16 properties2. This expansion aligns with Rotana's pipeline, which includes projects in Bahrain, Türkiye, and Qatar2.

In Egypt, Rotana faces infrastructural challenges impacting the tourism sector. The ongoing development of the Luxor Rotana Resort forms part of a broader effort to enhance Egypt’s hospitality landscape, where increased competition could arise from regional players3.

There have been rebrandings in the UAE's hospitality sector due to dissatisfaction from property owners. Such trends suggest that Rotana, among other operators, might face pressure to revisit management contracts reflective of new branding opportunities4.

Rotana is addressing inflation concerns by maintaining competitive room rates despite rising costs across the hospitality industry. Revenue per available room has improved, as rates stabilise following post-pandemic surges5.

Rotana Hotels Overview

Rotana Hotel Management Corporation was established in 1992 by Nasser Al Nowais and Selim El Zyr.

Starting in Abu Dhabi, it has grown into a premier hospitality brand across the Middle East, Africa, Balkans and Turkey.

Rotana’s luxury hotel sub-brands include Rotana Hotels & Resorts, Centro Hotels, Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts, Arjaan Hotel Apartments, Edge by Rotana and The Residences by Rotana.

Its Rose Rayhaan by Rotana in Dubai held the title of the world’s tallest hotel from 2009 to 2013.

Rotana has evolved its brand to include the launch of the budget-friendly Centro hotels and serviced apartments and the Edge for mid-market stays.

It also plans aggressive expansion in Saudi Arabia, aiming to double its rooms to more than 4,400 with nine new hotels in the kingdom.

Rotana Hotels News

UAE hotel revenue grew by a modest 3 percent to AED45 billion in 2024, suggesting hoteliers are absorbing increasing operational costs

UAE hotels absorb rising costs at expense of profit

Many UAE hoteliers are reluctant to raise prices to compensate for rising operational costs, even as intensifying global competition and geopolitical volatility tighten profit margins. According to data from CBRE Middle East, growth in UAE hotel revenue per available room (RevPAR) has slowed over the last two years, from 6 percent in 2023 to 3 […]

The Hilton Garden Inn Dubai at Mall Avenue. A quarter of the group's developments in the Middle East is aimed at the mid market

Hilton says Middle East expansion will add 35,000 jobs

Hotel group Hilton’s expansion plans in the Middle East will create 35,000 jobs, its regional head has said.   The US company will at least double its size in the region with 130 new properties, its Middle East and Africa president, Guy Hutchinson, said.  “We’re seeing this part of the world emerge as a thought and […]

Regional and international hotel operators are keen to expand in Egypt, but it also needs to improve infrastructure such as airports to support its tourism ambitions

Infrastructure needed to support Egypt’s tourism ambitions

Regional and international hotel operators are keen to expand in Egypt, but the country needs to improve infrastructure such as airports to support its tourism ambitions, industry sources have said. Egypt aims to emulate the high-end hospitality and entertainment development that the UAE and other Gulf countries have pioneered, at the same time bringing in […]

Speaking at the Future Hospitality Summit, Accor's CEO Sébastien Bazin said safety of the company's teams is a priority regional tensions

Gulf hospitality industry shrugs off war concerns

Middle East hospitality veterans downplayed concerns over wider regional tensions this week, saying the industry has survived crises before and is poised to do so again. Government officials and corporate executives spoke during the Future Hospitality Summit, which is taking place in Dubai this week, just as military action intensified in Israel, Lebanon and Iran, […]

The nine-floor Palazzo Versace Dubai has 215 rooms and four restaurants. The auction price is $380 million, closing on July 24

Palazzo Versace auction tied to owner’s finances

The auction of the Palazzo Versace Dubai hotel is directly tied to the property’s owner’s financial circumstances and is not a reflection of the hotel’s performance, an executive told AGBI. The hotel itself continues to perform strongly, said Monther Darwish, managing director of Palazzo Versace Dubai and chairman and founder of Palazzo Hospitality, which oversees […]

Bahrain event tourism Video length: 08:13

Event tourism the spur for economic growth in Bahrain

Bahrain has affirmed the strategic importance of the Sakhir Sports City development in a growing focus on event-related tourism as a primary engine of economic growth. The project, near the country’s Formula 1 circuit, is slated for completion in 2025 and expected to cost more than BD100 million ($266 million).  It will encompass a stadium […]

Hotel franchising is a well established model in the West and is becoming more popular in the Gulf Video length: 07:12

Hotel franchising model takes off in the Gulf

Global hospitality brands are aggressively expanding across the Gulf, stepping up competition and giving disgruntled owners unprecedented freedom to choose how and by whom their hotels should be run. Some hotel owners are opting for franchising agreements and third-party management arrangements. “Operators have become more flexible when offering their brands under a franchise than they […]

Heidi Kunkel, senior VP at Hyatt, says high-end customers are less sensitive to price increases Video length: 4:19

GCC hoteliers unfazed by rising costs

As global inflationary pressures continue to vex businesses, hospitality chains are faced with a choice: increase room rates or sacrifice profit margins.  GCC hoteliers seem to be opting for squeezing profit margins rather than increase room rates, even as geopolitical tensions and supply chain challenges threaten to push up costs.  Average daily rates (ADR) in […]