Hilton eyes growth in Ras Al Khaimah

International hotel chain Hilton Worldwide has its sights set on major expansion in the region, with Ras Al Khaimah featuring prominently in its plans, senior hotel officials told Emirates 24/7. Hilton Worldwide has 35 regional hotels in the pipeline, including the first Waldorf Astoria in the UAE – Waldorf Astoria, RAK.

Ras Al Khaimah’s tourism push will see the launch of about 30 new hotels in the emirate by the end of 2012, according to Essam Abouda, Vice President, Operations, Hilton Worldwide, Arabian Peninsula & Indian Ocean, who says his hotel is keen on playing host to the increasing number of visitors that the emirate is attracting.

“Ras Al Khaimah is a diversified product,” said Abouda, referring to the vast coastal expanse in the emirate complimenting the established industrial and business clusters. “That, and the taste of local culture, is an unparalleled experience that a UAE visitor gets in Ras Al Khaimah,” he added.

Not surprisingly, then, Hilton has more hotels in Ras Al Khaimah than it has in any other emirate in the UAE. The chain launched its first property in the emirate in 2001. “As one of the first international hotel companies in Ras Al Khaimah, we have a long term commitment to the emirate,” said Rudi Jagersbacher, Area President, Hilton Worldwide, Middle East & Africa.

Abouda added that while the chain’s focus on occupancy last year paid-off, the hotel will soon be looking at raising its room rates in the emirate this year. “We now have a good occupancy rate, and will be looking at raising room rates,” he said.

Hilton has 52 properties across the Middle East and Africa – seven of which have opened this year – including 10 hotels operating in the UAE. The chain has three properties in Ras Al Khaimah – Hilton RAK Resort & Spa, Hilton RAK, and the recently unveiled Double Tree by Hilton RAK.

“Our hotels in RAK offer more competitive rates than in comparable properties in Dubai or Abu Dhabi,” said Abouda when asked what was Hilton’s USP in RAK. “Our RAK guests stay longer and we can boast of big volumes here,” added Abouda.

The hotel has also just signed an agreement with Al Hamra Real Estate Development company to take over the management of the Al Hamra Fort Hotel in the emirate. The landmark hotel will open under the Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand in the first quarter of 2013, the chain announced yesterday.

“With the Hilton Al Hamra Resort & Spa, we aim to cement the emirate’s growing reputation for regional short-breaks; and give international guests another reason to choose Ras Al Khaimah as a destination offering culture, adventure and high-quality hospitality facilities,” Jagersbacher added.

The brand also another two hotels in the pipeline: the Waldorf Astoria, RAK, which is scheduled to open in the first half of 2012, and Hilton Mina Al Arab, which will open in 2013.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Saud Al Qasimi, chairman of the Al Hamra Group said: “The Al Hamra Fort Hotel is a symbol of our rich culture and tradition of hospitality. By handing over the reins to Hilton Hotels & Resorts, we hope to benefit from the brand’s extensive experience in operating hotels around the world and we will work closely with them to develop the hotel into an international leisure hotspot.”

Abouda said that the emirate’s government owns most of the Hilton-managed properties in RAK, and was very supportive of the chain’s expansion plans. “The government of RAK is the owner of our properties here with the exception of DoubleTree,” he said. “We work very closely with the government of RAK and owner on promoting the destination in different fairs,” Abouda said, adding  that he expected the newly launched DoubleTree brand to .

“We are looking at a growth of about 12 to 15 per cent over last year across all our RAK properties,” said Mohab Ghali, the hotel’s Country Manager for RAK.

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