Dubai fee waiver for hotels

The hotel investment industry will receive a financial incentive to develop more mid-range hotels in Dubai, in a move to increase the emirate’s supply of four and three-star properties.

This was announced by Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General, DTCM, on Sunday in his key note speech on ‘The importance of industry collaboration to achieve tourism objectives’ on the second day of The Hotel Show.

Eligible hotels will be granted a concession on the standard 10 per cent municipality fee, which is levied on the room rate for each night of occupancy, he said. The initiative is designed to incentivize hotel owners to bring forward their construction timelines, creating more three and four star hotel rooms in Dubai more quickly. Investors in new hotels will be granted a waiver on the fee for a period of four years from the date the permit to construct is granted and provided that this date is between October 1, 2013 and December 31, 2017.

“In order to achieve our headline objective of 20 million visitors per year by 2020, we need to both increase the overall stock of hotel rooms in Dubai and widen the range of options for visitors. In recent years the number of three and four star establishments has increased, but it’s vital that we continue to engineer the growth of this range,” Almarri added.

Mike Allsopp, Senior Vice-President dmg events, organisers of The Hotel Show, said: “It’s fantastic that such a game-changing initiative has been announced.”

Renowned architect and luxury hotel designer, Steven Miller, observed that the hospitality sector in the Middle East will contribute 19 per cent of a projected $9.2bn interior design market value by the end of 2013, equating to an increase in value from $1.3bn in 2012 to $1.62bn this year (INDEX 2013).

Meanwhile, exhibitors demonstrated a variety of unique and innovative new hotel concepts. From a focus on creatively themed and individual guest rooms and experiences, as highlighted by exhibitor and interior design consultancy, Nakkash Gallery, to KPTAC Technologies’ interactive and touchscreen eMenu tables and a new smart bed incorporating Internet and Blu-Ray DVD feeds from PRO TECH, The Hotel Show has helped ensure that Dubai is well on its way to reaching the 20 million visitor mark over the next ten years.

One of the new elements of this year’s show, the Hotel Room of The Future exhibition, created by Milan-based architect and design office, WT Technologies, provided delegates with a unique look into the future of hospitality. The Hotel Room of The Future includes waterproof and touchscreen TV screens from UK-based bathroom designer, Videotree, energy efficient LED lighting made from recyclable ABS plastic from Moree, and translucent MICROSORBER-Foil under the ceilings and walls, which improves acoustics and also the climate of the room.

Today is the final day of The Hotel Show. To pre-register please visit www.thehotelshow.com <https://www.thehotelshow.com%20> On the day registration will also be possible.

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