Urban Vancouver

Right across the Nile from my home neighbourhood of Zamalek lies Fairmont Hotels & Resort’s newest property in Cairo, the Fairmont Nile City. The building, which is currently under construction, is a very impressive structure that sits between two high-end gilded office towers that make up the upscale Nile City commercial and retail complex. Nile City is HQ for many serious players in Cairo’s business community, and no doubt the hotel will quickly become a focal point for Egypt’s business elite.

Fairmont Nile City will be an uber-luxurious five star hotel (even by Fairmont standards), weighing in at 567 rooms. According to the Hotel Management Network, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts (FHR) have entered into a joint venture with the Nile City Investments Company (NCIC) to outfit and manage the property. FHR and the Kingdom Hotel Investment Group (KHI) have invested approximately $10M for an interest of 15 percent each. Development cost for the Nile City hotel is estimated to be approximately $80M USD.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Inside the Fairmont Nile City

The property is slated to open later this year under the leadership of veteran Fairmont G.M. Frank Naboulsi. Before arriving in Egypt, Mr. Naboulsi was the G.M. of the Fairmont Dallas where he was an instrumental force behind the dicey (and successful) evacuation of hotel guests at the (former) Fairmont New Orleans during hurricane Katrina in 2005. I had a chance to meet with Frank recently for coffee and I heard the incredible story behind the tenuous situation in New Orleans, which included a heavily armed Navy Seal escort and many, many, tense moments.

The New Orleans scenario is most certainly the stuff of movies, and clearly this was a case of life being stranger than fiction. Mr. Naboulsi is the kind of charismatic G.M. who actively reaches out to, and partners with the local community at every opportunity. When a crisis hits, this is the kind of G.M. who can make things happen. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Frank actually trained with members of the Navy Seals!

The Fairmont Nile City is in high-gear construction mode, which is currently in full swing. Yesterday I was very fortunate to have an insider tour of the hotel with Nassiba Zouinati, Director of Rooms at Nile City. Nassiba transferred to Cairo from the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, and she was a wonderful ambassador for the property. Nassiba introduced me to many key players on Fairmont’s leadership team, and she walked me through the myriad luxury accoutrements the hotel will boast. Panoramic elevators, luxury car service, butlers on call, personalized service around every corner—this hotel is going to have it all.

Check out a quick drive-by capture of the hotel’s facade:

Food and beverage offerings include what will quickly become some of Cairo’s most anticipated outlets. The O Bar will open as a Jazz style cigar and sushi bar on the lobby level, and Saigon Blu will be a top-notch Vietnamese restaurant. Rihan will be a coffee and tea inspired lobby lounge, and the Napa Grill will feature California-modern cuisine for three meal periods—as well as an extensive California wine inventory. Sky Bar and the Sky Pool are located on the 25th floor of the Fairmont Nile City adjacent to the pool and health club. Sky Bar will be a trendy hot-spot hosting international DJ’s, and serving Lebanese cuisine.

Fairmont Nile City’s overall design motif will be heavily influenced by the Art Deco movement, which will also be reflected in guestrooms with rich brown and black tones and extensive dark marble accents and leather throughout the hotel. Sounds like a nightmare for housekeeping, but will definitely be a dramatic, sexy design scheme. I love Art Deco design so I’m excited to see what’s in store for the Nile City. Think New York’s Chrysler Building, and Vancouver’s awesome Marine Building for a little design inspiration.

Posh design elements are going to be incredibly important for Fairmont Nile City’s ability to be competitive in Cairo’s top-heavy luxury hotel market, but service will have to be Fairmont’s unique selling proposition. Service, of course, is orchestrated and delivered by people, and it is Nile City’s people that will be Fairmont’s competitive advantage. During my hotel tour yesterday I met with most of Nile City’s senior management team, and I was struck by their graciousness and enthusiasm. Leadership is young, vibrant and passionate—something that I believe is somewhat atypical in the local market.

My experiences relating to hotel service in Egypt so far (Cairo, Sharm El Sheik and Ain Soukhna) have leveled somewhere between horrific and completely average. If the Nile City can deliver on Fairmont’s promise of “turning moments in to memories”, this hotel is going to re-define what can be achieved in Cairo.

Today I stumbled upon a terrific hotel blog from a luxury property in Tanzania called Onsea House Arusha. This is one of the best examples of a hotel blog I have seen in a long time and Dirk, the author from Onsea House Country Inn & Guest Cottage does a wonderful job offering interesting, supportive and engaging information about Tanzania as a destination.

In a recent post, Onsea House revealed some interesting information about expansion plans from German-born Kempinski Hotels, which will include such locations as Comores Islands, Egypt, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Madagascar, Sudan, Nigeria, Mauritius, Mauritania, Burundi and many more.

Just before Africa’s largest travel show Indaba in Durban, South Africa, Kempinski top management revealed ambitious plans for the group during the 2008 Arabian Travel Market (ATM) which took place at the Dubai International Conference and Exhibition Centre from May 6 to 9.

“Kempinski Hotels has announced its intention to become a clear market leader in Africa, leading global tourism’s foray into the rapidly evolving continent with an unrivalled portfolio of diverse luxury properties - from spectacular city hotels and beach resorts to exotic eco forest retreats and game park lodges.’

>> Check out the entire article on the Onsea House blog...

Andrew Morrison over at UrbanDiner.ca covers Vancouver’s restaurant food scene, but he has a pretty good eye on the hotel trade as well. Thanks to Urban Diner, I discovered that yet another hotel property will open its doors to guests in the downtown core.

Construction on the ParaYso Hotel (para-Why-so?) is expected to kick-off in the summer of 2009. Local hospitality entrepreneur Graham Alexander has finalized a land deal at 620 Seymour street for $5.5M, and he plans to develop a small hotel property at the downtown location.

“The Company plans to build a hotel with a roof top bar lounge, of up to 91 nicely designed interior suites, and energy efficient hotel. The interiors will be exquisite but will be for the 20th century where beauty, green and energy are of high concerns. The development is lead by Graham Alexander, a developer of hotels in Mayan Riviera Mexico and Chilliwack, B.C., Canada.”

[via Yahoo! - & no doubt the PR writer meant 21st century]

The ParaYso Hotel will be located near the financial district, within one block of the new Canada Line shuttle from the Vancouver International Airport and a few blocks from the new convention centre. The hotel lies adjacent to the Steve Nash Sports Gym, Gotham Restaurant, and the Shore Club restaurant.

The 600 block of Seymour Street in Vancouver is not exactly the most upscale strip downtown, and incidentally, the hotel’s location sits almost exactly on the spot where two men were gunned down in a targeted gangland shooting in January of this year.

I’m sure developments like the ParaYso Hotel are exactly what Seymour needs as part of a long-term strategy to rejuvenate the area. The newly renovated Moda Hotel to the South on Seymour, and the Delta Suites to the North of the ParaYso will certainly benefit from more hotel critical mass.

And hey, who doesn’t love roof-top lounges? Watch out Loden—yours isn’t going to be the only one in town.

Andrew Morrison over at UrbanDiner.ca covers Vancouver’s restaurant food scene, but he has a pretty good eye on the hotel trade as well. Thanks to Urban Diner, I discovered that yet another hotel property will open its doors to guests in the downtown core.

Construction on the ParaYso Hotel (para-Why-so?) is expected to kick-off in the summer of 2009. Local hospitality entrepreneur Graham Alexander has finalized a land deal at 620 Seymore street for $5.5M, and he plans to develop a small hotel property at the downtown location.

“The Company plans to build a Hotel with a roof top bar lounge, of up to 91 nicely designed interior suites, and energy efficient Hotel. The interiors will be exquisite but will be for the 20th century where beauty, green and energy are of high concerns. The development is lead by Graham Alexander, a developer of hotels in Mayan Riviera Mexico and Chilliwack, B.C., Canada.”

[via Yahoo! - & no doubt the PR writer meant 21st century]

The ParaYso Hotel will be located near the financial district, within one block of the new Canada Line shuttle from the Vancouver International Airport and a few blocks from the new convention centre. The hotel lies adjacent to the Steve Nash Sports Gym, Gotham Restaurant, and the Shore Club restaurant.

The 600 block of Seymore Street in Vancouver is not exactly the most upscale strip downtown, and incidentally, the hotel’s location sits almost exactly on the spot where two men were gunned down in a targeted gangland shooting in January of this year.

I’m sure developments like the ParaYso Hotel are exactly what Seymore needs as part of a long-term strategy to rejuvenate the area. The newly renovated Moda Hotel to the South on Seymore, and the Delta Suites to the North of the ParaYso will certainly benefit from more hotel critical mass.

And hey, who doesn’t love roof-top lounges? Watch out Loden—yours isn’t going to be the only one in town.

Hospitality and tourism operators in the Middle East will be delighted to know that the World Tourism Organization’s “Tourism 2020 Vision” estimates that international travel to the Middle East will grow at a significantly faster rate than other competing global destinations.

The WTO suggests that in the year 2020, Middle Eastern destinations will receive 68.5 million arrivals (vs. 46.4M in 2007), representing a growth rate of 7.1 percent over the period 1995-2019. The global average for the same year is expected to be 4.1 percent. This is certainly good news for tourism operators in a region marked by incredible growth in the hotel industry, with no immediate signs of abatement.

While the current growth in hotel supply in the Middle East is built on a promise for the future, current hotel industry results in financial performance indicate that the region is on the right track.

ArabianBusiness.com magazine published some impressive Q1 hotel industry statistics yesterday for 2008, confirming the Middle Eastern region’s position as the current world’s top performer in average rate and occupancy.

The study, compiled by industry analysts at Deloitte, reveal a chart-topping average rate of $181 USD, and an overall occupancy of 74.3 percent. Absolute RevPAR (revenue per available room) in the region for Q1 grew 19 percent year over year.

Looking ahead, Rob O’Hanlon, Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Partner for Deloitte Middle East said: “With the strongest occupancy and average room rates in the world, hotel performance in the Middle East is off to a very good start in 2008.  If the rest of 2008 follows the pattern already set for the first quarter, hoteliers could enjoy a remarkable five-year run of double-digit growth.”

Naturally these results are averaged over a number of distinct and varied hotel markets in the region, with some areas performing significantly better than others. According to Deloitte, the hotel industry in the Middle East has been characterised by two distinct overall segments in 2008:

One segment has shown strong absolute RevPAR and growth in average room rates with a decrease in occupancy due to the influx of new supply. Obvious examples of this market segment include Dubai and Doha.

A second segment in the Middle East is achieving a much lower absolute RevPAR but is experiencing high RevPAR growth, driven by increases in both occupancy and average room rates. Amman and destinations in Egypt are examples of this segment.

Hospitality consultancy HVS International released a fresh study titled Middle East Hotel Survey 2008 (PDF), which offers a gold-mine of interesting statistics about the regional hotel trade.

According to HVS, approximately 253 hotels will be entering the market in the next fours years, adding an additional 120,000 guestrooms to current supply—not including the massive but unconfirmed ”Dubailand” project in the UAE.

“The UAE accounts for nearly 75% of the new supply, followed by Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman. Approximately 25,000 rooms are set to enter the Dubai market in 2008, 20,000 in 2009, 25,000 in 2010 and 20,000 in 2011.

The most active operators in the region in terms of brand expansion are Accor, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, Rotana Hotels, and M?venpick Hotels and Resorts.”

Egypt Hotel Stats—Since our blog HQ is in Cairo, I wanted to share a few local stats compiled by HVS for 2007:

Last year, many markets in Egypt saw occupancy rise by ten percentage points or more. A notable exception was Cairo (City Centre), which saw an increase in guestroom supply. Sharm El Sheikh recorded a rise in occupancy of ten points, Hurghada 11, and Cairo (Heliopolis) 12 points in 2007.

Both Cairo (City Centre) and Cairo (Heliopolis) increased their average rates significantly, by 38 percent and 39 percent respectively over last year (I still think that Cairo is currently undervalued in average rate compared to other destinations!).

And the best news for local hotel owners? Cairo (Pyramids) and Cairo (Heliopolis) experienced growth of 52 percent and 45 percent respectively in GOPPAR (gross operating profit per available room), and Cairo (City Centre) grew their GOPPAR by 14% year over year.

Linkage
Dubai skyline thanks to flickr member [Qba from Poland]

Last week I received an email from Debbie Collins letting me know about the launch of the hip Opus Montreal’s new Koko Restaurant + Bar, set to open its doors this Saturday, May 10, 2008.

The anticipated restaurant located in Montreal’s newest boutique property plans to “blend urban glamour with modern Asian cuisine in a theatrical, 9000 square foot setting”. Sounds like Vancouver’s thriving Asian-Chic culture is taking over Canada’s hippest city…

Opus Montreal’s Koko Restaurant, the Video:

Executive Chef Don Letendre of Vancouver’s renowned Opus Hotel kitchen has created a pan-Asian menu, served in the Japanese izakaya “sharing-style”. Letendre’s culinary experience in Tokyo, including cooking at popular Soba Ni Umazake Yoshimura, left an indelible impression and influenced his style of clean and innovative cuisine.

Says Letendre, “My experience in Japan taught me about balance between cooking, tasting, and seeing, and gave me a foundation for my senses. It helped me to trust in my hands.”

“Koko adds an exciting new element to the dining scene in Montreal,” says John deC. Evans, President of Opus Hotels. “Much as its setting integrates the classic aspects of Joseph-Arthur Godin’s 1914 art nouveau structure with its adjoining contemporary concrete and glass structure, Koko blends an array of Far Eastern flavours and textures with Western culinary techniques to bring an international dining and socializing experience never before scene in this city.” To set the mood, resident DJs spin with international talent to bring the latest electro-house rhythms from East and West.

Nice Hotel Marketing, Opus

I love the Opus’ promo video-release for Koko. Cheap and cheerful, and effective. 

The folks at Vancouver’s Opus Hotel were early adopters in leveraging social media to connect with their guests when they introduced their popular Blog. The site was very well received by guests and the hotelier community under Opus VP Daniel Craig’s terrific writing. Daniel has since left the company to pursue fame and fortune in the literary world, but you can still read his hilarious hotel dispatches at his new blog.

I receive lots of boring industry press releases (usually unsolicited) in my inbox, and virtually all of them hit my trash folder unread. Not this one though, because Debbie did her homework. She knew a little about me (like, my name for starters), and she presented her info in a way that she knew would be meaningful to me.  And it worked.

Through our interactions, I was made to feel that that Opus Hotels would also make an effort to connect with me in a personalized manner.

Opus is a pretty cool boutique brand in Canada—one of the few in my mind who offer a chic, “happening” vibe. This is a rare experience indeed for a Canadian hotel (c’mon fellow Canadians, you know it’s true). I’ve been a fan of the Opus in Vancouver for years.

Next time I am in Montreal I will be first in line to check out the Opus Montreal—and you can be sure that I’ll try Koko Restaurant + Bar. Thinking about it right now is making me dread hitting the streets of Cairo in my never-ending search for decent cuisine (c’mon fellow Caireans—you know it’s true).

Linkage
Opus Montreal [Vacant Ready]
Recent Feature [Montreal Real Estate Blog] - thx 4 the link

Last week I received an email from Debbie Collins letting me know about the launch of the Opus Montreal’s new Koko Restaurant + Bar, set to open its doors this Saturday, May 10, 2008.

The anticipated restaurant located in Montreal’s newest boutique property plans to “blend urban glamour with modern Asian cuisine in a theatrical, 9000 square foot setting”. Sounds like Vancouver’s thriving Asian-Chic culture is taking over Canada’s hippest city…

Opus Montreal’s Koko Restaurant, the Video:

Executive Chef Don Letendre of Vancouver’s renowned Opus Hotel kitchen has created a pan-Asian menu, served in the Japanese izakaya “sharing-style”. Letendre’s culinary experience in Tokyo, including cooking at popular Soba Ni Umazake Yoshimura, left an indelible impression and influenced his style of clean and innovative cuisine.

Says Letendre, “My experience in Japan taught me about balance between cooking, tasting, and seeing, and gave me a foundation for my senses. It helped me to trust in my hands.”

“Koko adds an exciting new element to the dining scene in Montreal,” says John deC. Evans, President of Opus Hotels. “Much as its setting integrates the classic aspects of Joseph-Arthur Godin’s 1914 art nouveau structure with its adjoining contemporary concrete and glass structure, Koko blends an array of Far Eastern flavours and textures with Western culinary techniques to bring an international dining and socializing experience never before scene in this city.” To set the mood, resident DJs spin with international talent to bring the latest electro-house rhythms from East and West.

Nice Hotel Marketing, Opus

I love the Opus’ promo video-release for Koko. Cheap and cheerful, and effective. 

The folks at Vancouver’s Opus Hotel were early adopters in leveraging social media to connect with their guests when they introduced their popular Blog. The site was very well received by guests and the hotelier community under Opus VP Daniel Craig’s terrific writing. Daniel has since left the company to pursue fame and fortune in the literary world, but you can still read his hilarious hotel dispatches at his new blog.

I receive lots of boring industry press releases (usually unsolicited) in my inbox, and virtually all of them hit my trash folder unread. Not this one though, because Debbie did her homework. She knew a little about me (like, my name for starters), and she presented her info in a way that she knew would be meaningful to me.  And it worked.

Through our interactions, I was made to feel that that Opus Hotels would also make an effort to connect with me in a personalized manner.

Opus is a pretty cool boutique brand in Canada—one of the few in my mind who offer a chic, “happening” vibe. This is a rare experience indeed for a Canadian hotel (c’mon fellow Canadians, you know it’s true). I’ve been a fan of the Opus in Vancouver for years.

Next time I am in Montreal I will be first in line to check out the Opus Montreal—and you can be sure that I’ll try Koko Restaurant + Bar. Thinking about it right now is making me dread hitting the streets of Cairo in my never-ending search for decent cuisine (c’mon fellow Caireans—you know it’s true).

Linkage
Opus Montreal [Vacant Ready]
Recent Feature [Montreal Real Estate Blog] - thx 4 the link!

I don’t read many personal blogs, but there are two or three I follow for a fun break from boring trade feeds once in a while.

My favorite “personal” hotel industry perspective has to be a blog called Feather or Foam written by the ‘Queen of Clean’ herself. The QofC resides in Cork, Ireland, and she’s a self-styled “Hotel Management Type Thingy”.

QofC often writes about her daily life in the resort where she works, and some of these posts are hilarious.

Here’s a personal fave, titled “Gimme Gimme Gimme”:

“Why can’t I have a discount”?

(Because you’re a flatulent greedy bitch that’s why)

“Because Company policy does not allow extra discounts on top of special rates for tour operators”

“But the special rates are only for the room, not the facilities”

(You already get nearly 50% off, how fucking greedy can you get?)

“Sorry, I really cannot change Company policy”

(Actually I can, but you have really put my back up, you have been clicking your knobbly fingers at the waiters since you walked in the door, who do you think you are, you sell rooms, that’s all, you sell holidays and shit)

“But I bring you lots of business don’t I?”

(Yes you do, and so do a lot of other operators/agents, stop making a fool of yourself, and go home, I am not giving you the steam off my.... anxious nods from a co worker trying to tell me that my 11 O’clock appointment is here)!

“Well, I really cannot understand why you won’t bend the rules a little, I mean you could give me lodge for a night or two, you’re not full, and I have some colleagues coming over for a couple of days...they are very interested in seeing the standard of accommodation, just as a goodwill gesture? Some of these people are very influential, they will love it here and they would be willing to do wonderful PR for the Resort....”

Response: [insert expletives en-masse here] ....click here to read the Queen of Clean’s response!

Ouch!

Middle East business magazine AME Info recently announced five G.M. appointments for Ritz-Carlton hotels in Dubai, Bahrain and Sharm el Sheikh—with two appointments in Doha. Click over to the article for an insider peek at the hoteliers taking the helm in these hotels.

Not yet named is the G.M. for Cairo’s upcoming Ritz-Carlton property. The current Hilton Nile will be completely renovated and re-developed to become the Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo, expected to open in 2011.

“We are honored to have been selected by Misr Hotels to assume management of this iconic property. Our plans for The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo are extensive, and will include conversion to restore the hotel to its status as the leading property in the region,” commented Simon F. Cooper, president and chief operating officer of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

The Hilton Nile website reveals that operations at the 413 room hotel will cease January 1, 2009—to the delight of the Hilton’s local competitors, I’m sure.

The Ritz-Carlton brand joins other strong luxury brands also moving into the area, with Fairmont’s Nile City hotel currently under construction, and the new St. Regis, Cairo also opening in 2011.

Hotel mavens and the local jet set will have plenty of swank opening parties to attend. BTW - here’s how you can contact me!

Hilton Nile -> Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo

Check out an original rendition of the property before Hilton took over:

And here is a photo taken last month, thanks to flickr member keatl:

Finally...the souped-up version of the hotel after Ritz-Carlton completes the transition:

Interesting that the colourful murals (or mosaic?) surrounding the property are shown in all three images. Classy enough for Ritz-Carlton?

A few days ago Sheikh Abdel Aziz Ibrahim bin Ibrahim of Saudi Arabia, owner of the Grand Hyatt in Cairo banned the sale of alcohol at the hotel. Apparently the owner arrived at the hotel and ordered a massive amount of booze from In Room Dining. Hotel staff obliged and delivered bottle after bottle, which he then poured down the sink (literally).

This gesture marked the beginning of a ban on the service of alcohol at the 716 room Grand Hyatt Cairo. The Muslim religion denounces the consumption of booze, and the owner has seemingly made a grand statement about the sort of guests he wants staying in his hotel. All guests are welcome of course, just as long as they follow certain aspects of Islam.

No doubt the Hyatt corporation will have a thing or two to say about this move—to say nothing of the opinions of many thousands of non-Muslim hotel guests. An official no-liquour policy, if it remains in place, would surely have a huge impact on guest room production from many non-Muslim nations. I can only imagine how much liquour revenue (and banquet business) will be lost in the future at this busy property. Can an international hotel maintain a five star, or even a four star rating without the availability of alcohol? I doubt it.

Within reason, the owner of a hotel can do whatever he wants at his property. However, having an operating agreement with a large multinational brand like Hyatt complicates things in a big way, and I seriously doubt that Hyatt will accept the situation as-is without a contractual fight. After all, their brand consistency is on the line.

The gossip in Cairo is that the owner has been trying to dissolve his relationship with Hyatt for some time, and clearly this move could be sabre-rattling on a big scale. Either way it’s an interesting piece of information for competitive luxury hotels in Cairo who are certainly watching events as they unfold.

APF covered the story in a short piece, and I was also delighted to find a comment from a London-based frequent business traveller and (former) Hyatt fan:

“The Hyatt hotel chain is pretty good, I have to admit, good rooms, good customer service, good frequent user programme and so on and so forth. But hey, no drinks, no stay. After a long day at work, you need a drink.”

Linkage
APF Story [Saudi sheikh bans alcohol at Grand Hyatt Cairo]
Blog Comment [Daily Salty]

Yesterday I was reading some interesting updates on the Cairo Marriott Hotel’s blog, and discovered that the property was recently awarded a rather prestigious honour: 2007 Marriott Hotel of the Year for the United Kingdom, Ireland, Middle East & African region (UKIMEA). Congrats!

During Marriott’s leadership conference on April 11th held at the Marriott Cairo Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino, I happened to be at the property. Since I’m a nosy hotel blogger, I snapped a picture of a conference sign leading into the Marriott’s expansive garden area. Little did I know that I would feature this image in a blog post:

I figured that the conference was a big-wig Marriott party, and the hotel certainly pulled out all the stops in the decorations for the public areas and gardens.

No doubt the location for the leadership conference was planned far before the winner was chosen for Hotel of the Year, but what a bonus for the Cairo Hotel team that the host hotel was also the winner for 2007.

Ulrich Huth, General Manager of the Cairo Marriott, commented on the occasion stating that “Winning such a prestigious award strengthens the fact that the Cairo Marriott’s team is the best! The team’s exceptional devotion to work and its dedication to provide guests with the finest level of service is the reason behind this success.”

The Cairo Marriott just keeps getting better and better. Congrats on the award, and a big shout out to Ahmed and the pool boys who always make us feel at home when we hit the beach chairs poolside. BTW, isn’t it about time for a blogger’s discount for the entrance fee? We’re working hard for you here!

I wonder if anyone from Marriott in Cairo has read our hotel love?

Yesterday I was reading some interesting updates on the Cairo Marriott hotel’s blog, and discovered that the property was recently awarded a rather prestigious honour: 2007 Marriott Hotel of the Year for the United Kingdom, Ireland, Middle East & African region (UKIMEA). Congrats!

During Marriott’s leadership conference on April 11th held at the Marriott Cairo Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino, I happened to be at the property. Since I’m a nosy hotel blogger, I snapped a picture of a conference sign leading into the Marriott’s expansive garden area. Little did I know that I would feature this image in a blog post:

I figured that the conference was a big-wig Marriott party, and the hotel certainly pulled out all the stops in the decorations for the public areas and gardens.

No doubt the location for the leadership conference was planned far before the winner was chosen for Hotel of the Year, but what a bonus for the Cairo Hotel team that the host hotel was also the winner for 2007.

Ulrich Huth, General Manager of the Cairo Marriott commented on the occasion stating that “Wining such a prestigious award strengthens the fact that the Cairo Marriott’s team is the best! The team’s exceptional devotion to work and its dedication to provide guests with the finest level of service is the reason behind this success.”

The Cairo Marriott just keeps getting better and better. Congrats on the award, and a big shout out to Ahmed and the pool boys who always make us feel at home when we hit the beach chairs poolside. BTW, isn’t it about time for a blogger’s discount for the entrance fee? We’re working hard for you here!

I wonder if anyone from Marriott in Cairo has read our hotel love?

Thanks to Allan C—one of our savvy readers and a successful hotel GM, we received some truly fantastic pictures and mock-up sketches for an awesome variety of hotels and attractions either planned, or currently under construction in Dubai.

The captions that accompany the images are worth the effort of clicking over to the flickr photoset (for a larger size), but I’ve also featured the images below in a slide show.

You can click on any image to read the captions:

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

This is really incredible stuff!

A number of my hotelier colleagues in Cairo are heading out to the ATM next week in Dubai. Since I had no idea what this was, I did a little research:

“The Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is the industry’s leading travel and tourism exhibition dedicated to unlocking business potential within the Middle East and pan-Arab regions. ”

This year marks the fifteenth annual ATM, which is expected to attract over 23 thousand industry players from over 100 countries to the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre on May 6th, 2008.

Check out some pics from last year’s event:

I just read on Marriott Corporate PR’s Twitter feed that they will be attending this year’s event. Bill Marriott himself mentioned on a recent blog post that his company is branding 35 more hotels in the Middle Eastern region, increasing their portfolio to 64 properties in the next three years.

Sheraton has embarked on its largest growth initiative in the brand’s history, with half of these developments launching outside of North America. Ten new properties are currently in Starwood’s pipeline in the Middle East:

“Europe, the Middle East and Africa will continue to experience significant growth with over ten new hotels expected to open this year and close to 50 scheduled to open by 2012.  More specifically, Starwood is expanding in key Middle Eastern markets such as UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar, where currently there are 20 operating hotels and another ten in the pipeline. ”

Looks like Dubai won’t be the only “place to be” before long!

Check out TripAdvisor’s 2008 top 10 Dirtiest Hotels, chosen by their members—all rated as “beyond scummy”.

These traveller reviews fall anywhere between “totally brutal” to “utterly disgusting”.  Ouch!

Dirtiest Hotels - U.S.

• Hotel Carter, New York, NY


• Ramada Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls, NY (Hotel now closed)


• Nashville - Days Inn Vanderbilt / Music Row, Nashville, TN


• Red Carpet Inn, Fort Lauderdale, FL


• Regency Inn & Suites, New York, NY


• St. Augustine Beachfront Resort, Saint Augustine, FL


• Travel Inn Civic/Medical Center, Miami, FL


• Eden Roc Motel, Wildwood, NJ


• Days Inn Lancaster, Lancaster, PA


• Pacific Sands Motel, Santa Monica, CA

Dirtiest Hotels - U.K.

• Nanford Guest House, Oxford, England


• Manor Court Hotel, London, England


• Britannia Hotel Stockport, Stockport, England


• Europa Gatwick, Crawley, England


• Whiteleaf Hotel, London, England


• Park Hotel, London, England


• County Hotel, Carlisle, England


• Britannia Hotel Birmingham, Birmingham, England


• Eden Plaza Hotel, London, England


• Britannia Country House Hotel, Manchester, England

We recently received an email from Claire over at the Pro Traveller blog sharing their listing of the Top-10 Coolest Hotel Suites in the World:

Although I didn’t find any huge surprises on the Pro Traveller list, Pro Traveller did a nice job mashing up links, photos and video (when available) to provide a nice escape from the work day.

Glad to see the Ice Hotel in Quebec representing Canada, even if it further perpetuates our usual “Great White North” stereotype. 

Thanks Claire, for the tip.

We recently received an email from Clare over at the Pro Traveller blog sharing their listing of the Top-10 Coolest Hotel Suites in the World:

Although I didn’t find any huge surprises on the Pro Traveller list, Pro Traveller did a nice job mashing up links, photos and video (when available) to provide a nice escape from the work day.

Glad to see the Ice Hotel in Quebec representing Canada, even if it further perpetuates our usual “Great White North” stereotype. 

Thanks Clare, for the tip.

A search for hotels in Cairo, Egypt on Tripadvisor reveals an interesting blend of results between upper-upscale luxury properties, and extremely modest budget hotels.

The top spot for ”hotels in Cairo” on Tripadvisor?

...the Four Seasons Nile Plaza.

Of course the Four Seasons Nile Plaza is number one. It’s an incredible hotel in an awesome location. And with rates averaging $519 USD for the year (per TA), it had better exceed expectations. According to Tripadvisor, it does exactly that.

Since I can’t really recommend five hundred dollar room rates to my friends and family, let’s take a look at Tripadvisor’s number two hotel in popularity:

The Hotel Longchamps in Zamalek, Cairo

The Longchamps has been a fixture in the Zamalek neighbourhood since the 1950’s, and is run by owner/operator Hebba Bakri. The hotel was established by the current owner’s mother who was a well-known theater personality in Egypt. I can’t remember her name, but you can see a cool portrait of her next to the hotel’s front desk if you ever stay there. 

Since the Hotel Longchamps is a six minute walk from my apartment, I paid a visit to the property a few weeks ago. The hotel is actually located in a ‘typical’ Zamalek apartment building, so it’s quite easy to miss the sign if a guest were to drive by in a taxi. Once I made it inside the building, the apartment’s booabs (doormen) directed me to the building’s elevators to get to the Longchamps on the top floors.

At least one comment on Tripadvisor warned that the elevator floor sinks a few inches when entering the elevator car. This is absolutely true! If rickety elevators with floors that drop are not your cup of tea, take the elevator on the right (when facing the cabs from the lower lobby). If you feel like experiencing the thrill of ‘real’ Cairo...take the elevator on the left.

The hotel staff were quite willing to offer me a tour of the public areas, dining room and the terrific outdoor verandas at both the front and back of the hotel. The views were really nice, and the hotel was well maintained from what I could see. I didn’t get a chance to see any guestrooms, but I certainly felt a sense of hospitality and caring from the staff.

At only $30 average rate per night for a standard room, I’m sure that the accommodations are simple—but they look more than adequate from the pics on TA. The entire place has a friendly, safe and clean ambiance, and I feel quite comfortable recommending the Longchamps. This is definitely not a luxury hotel, and the facilities are obviously geared for a budget traveller. Still, for the price paid, I can’t imagine the Longchamps being anything but good value.

Tripadvisor features a variety of guestroom photos taken by guests so take a peek there if you are inclined.

The hotel’s location is outstanding, and I would personally choose Zamalek over any hotel downtown any day of the week. Less insane traffic and people congestion, and a perfect location to walk around and experience the surrounding upscale neighbourhood.

Below are some pics from my recent tour, or head over to my flickr photoset to read the captions:

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

A search for hotels in Cairo, Egypt on Tripadvisor reveals an interesting blend of results between upper-upscale luxury properties, and extremely modest budget hotels.

The top spot for ”hotels in Cairo” on Tripadvisor? The Four Seasons Nile Plaza:

Of course the Four Seasons Nile Plaza is number one. It’s an incredible hotel in an awesome location. And with rates averaging $519 USD for the year (per TA), it had better exceed expectations. According to Tripadvisor, it does exactly that.

Since I can’t really recommend five hundred dollar room rates to my friends and family, let’s take a look at Tripadvisor’s number two hotel in popularity:

The Hotel Longchamps in Zamalek, Cairo

The Longchamps has been a fixture in the Zamalek neighbourhood since the 1950’s, and is run by owner/operator Hebba Bakri. The hotel was established by the current owner’s mother who was a well-known theater personality in Egypt. I can’t remember her name, but you can see a cool portrait of her next to the hotel’s front desk if you ever stay there. 

Since the Hotel Longchamps is a six minute walk from my apartment, I paid a visit to the property a few weeks ago. The hotel is actually located in a ‘typical’ Zamalek apartment building, so it’s quite easy to miss the sign if a guest were to drive by in a taxi. Once I made it inside the building, the apartment’s booabs (doormen) directed me to the building’s elevators to get to the Longchamps on the top floors.

At least one comment on Tripadvisor warned that the elevator floor sinks a few inches when entering the elevator car. This is absolutely true! If rickety elevators with floors that drop are not your cup of tea, take the elevator on the right (when facing the cabs from the lower lobby). If you feel like experiencing the thrill of ‘real’ Cairo...take the elevator on the left.

The hotel staff were quite willing to offer me a tour of the public areas, dining room and the terrific outdoor verandas at both the front and back of the hotel. The views were really nice, and the hotel was well maintained from what I could see. I didn’t get a chance to see any guestrooms, but I certainly felt a sense of hospitality and caring from the staff.

At only $30 average rate per night for a standard room, I’m sure that the accommodations are simple—but they look more than adequate form the pics on TA. The entire place has a friendly, safe and clean ambiance, and I feel quite comfortable recommending the Longchamps. This is definitely not a luxury hotel, and the facilities are obviously geared for a budget traveller. Still, for the price paid, I can’t imagine the Longchamps being anything but good value.

Tripadvisor features a variety of guestroom photos taken by guests so take a peek there if you are inclined.

The hotel’s location is outstanding, and I would personally choose Zamalek over any hotel downtown any day of the week. Less insane traffic and people congestion, and a perfect location to walk around and experience the surrounding upscale neighbourhood.

Below are some pics from my recent tour, or head over to my flickr photoset to read the captions:

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

The global hotel industry continues to drive innovation in environmentally responsible operating practices, and there are countless examples of green efforts at the corporate level and throughout individual hotel properties worldwide that show a real effort from the industry to mitigate their potential negative environmental impact.

Cairo, Egypt probably isn’t top-of-mind for most hotel professionals considering who might be world leaders in terms of sustainable green practices—after all Cairo is literally an oasis sprung from the desert. With no recycling programs prevalent in the city, and an (apparent) general lack of concern for responsible waste management, it might seem easy to write-off Cairo as a world contender.

Stereotypes (perpetuated by me) put aside, the truth is that a number of hotels in Cairo are actually doing an incredible amount of good work with environmental stewardship, and there are plenty of accolades to prove it.

Industry website 4Hoteliers.com recently featured a story outlining the expansive efforts of the Conrad Cairo hotel in maintaining operations at a high level of environmental awareness and sensitivity.

The Conrad was recently awarded Gold status from the prestigious Green Globe organization; a worldwide benchmarking certification and improvement system that assists the international travel and tourism industry move toward true sustainability.

The Conrad was successfully certified by Green Globe for more than seven continuous years, which resulted in their achievement of Gold status—the highest honour awarded by the the Green Globe program.

“The actions taken by the Conrad Cairo in order to achieve the award included appointing members of staff to monitor waste, energy and water consumption; training staff in environmental awareness; switching paper memos for electronic communication; installing dimmer switches and power-saving lights; replacing the electric swimming pool heating system with a steam system; painting the facades of neighbouring buildings; and introducing recycling measures for everything from cardboard to cooking oil.”

The Cairo Conrad has also received a number of environmental accolades from the Ministry of Tourism in Egypt, outlined on their website.

This is great stuff on the environmental side of things, but I admit that I am curious about community or social initiatives the Conrad may have implemented. The hotel’s location is adjacent to a number of other luxury hotels, with the Nile Hilton and the upcoming Fairmont Nile City located close by on either side. However, the vast areas behind these luxury hotels are lively but underprivileged neighbourhoods, and I have to wonder what, if any, opportunities exist to reach out to the huge residential areas that live in the shadow of these luxury hotels. No doubt it would be very difficult to initiate or manage a community outreach program, no matter how well intentioned. It’s a reality in Cairo that takes some adjustment for Western folks like me to comprehend.

Check out two recent photos snapped from a back-side of the Conrad hotel, taken by my friend Catherine:

Marriott Cairo gets in on the action

The Conrad is clearly a leader in Cairo on the sustainability front, but other hotels in the city have also launched formal environmental initiatives in recent years. The Cairo Marriott Hotel & Casino was recognized by the Minister of State for Environmental Affairs with its “Environmental Concern Award” in both 2003 & 2004.

The Marriott Cairo has embarked on a series of community outreach efforts such as their recent blood drive (200+ employees participated) and a community clean-up initiative “outside the fence” in the neighboring (upscale) Zamalek neighbourhood.

No doubt there are many more environmental and social initiatives occurring in the Cairo hotel scene that I have yet to discover, and I look forward to reporting back when I discover them.