Barceló Hotel Group celebrated its 90th year in 2021 and registered significant levels of growth, recording over 70% in occupancy rates across all operating properties in the UAE.

Additionally, the company attained a prestigious accolade by World Travel Awards as the 'World's Leading Hotel Management Company in 2021', further solidifying its leading status globally.

The family-owned hotel management company, renowned for its unique Spanish hospitality flair, celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2021 and consolidated its positioning as leading Spanish hospitality company in Middle East.

Highlighting major strides in the UAE hospitality industry, the company's flagship hotel Dukes The Palm, a Royal Hideaway Hotel, Barceló Residences Dubai Marina, Occidental Sharjah Grand, Occidental Dubai Production City and Occidental Al Jaddaf, recorded strong performances in 2021 by rapidly adapting to the changing market realities.

In 2021, Barceló Hotel Group appointed José Canals as the new Managing Director for the Middle East, Mediterranean and Asia to bolster the company's growth strategy, spearheading the Spanish hotel chain's expansion in the Middle East.

José Canals commented: "Barceló Hotel Group has persevered despite the previous year's challenges, benchmarking a successive growth in 2021. This was all thanks to our team of passionate and dedicated hoteliers, which enabled us to attain the World's Leading Hotel Management Company at the World Travel Awards. I would also like to share our heartfelt gratitude to Barceló's loyal guests for trusting in us.

“Lastly, I would like to also thank the UAE government for their phenomenal efforts in creating a safe space and renewing confidence in local and international guests to travel to the UAE, which supported the hospitality industry to recover and grow."

Juan Carlos Reina, General Manager of Dukes The Palm, a Royal Hideaway Hotel added: "On a group level, we rapidly responded to the evolving needs of guests, by tapping into different guest profiles and ever-changing travel trends. We have seen robust performances across our city and beach-front hotels. From long and short-stay packages to corporate and leisure-driven offers, we adapted our business model to ensure all guest needs were met with the highest quality of Spanish hospitality."

Eduardo Espiritusanto Marrero, Cluster General Manager commented: “In addition, we launched Occidental Jaddaf during the onset of the pandemic, and despite these challenges and travel restrictions from key source markets like India and Saudi Arabia, our 4* property has accomplished exceptional performance, attracting business and leisure travellers since its opening in February 2021."

Speaking on the overall occupancy rates, Néstor Del Toro Benitez, General Manager of Occidental Sharjah Grand said: "We diversified our source markets, focusing on offering appealing long and short-stay packages to cater to the preferences of guests in the local market and to establish our hotel as a safe destination for our guests. We experienced tremendous support from Russian and CIS guests visiting the UAE."

"At Barceló Hotel Group guest health and safety have always been a top priority, and through the past year's tribulations, we ensured to safeguard guests while providing specialized experiences. We incorporated the Barceló vision to present visitors and residents a signature service, which resulted in overall 25% long-stay guest retention by offering them a luxurious home-away-from-home experience,” concluded Birthe Bolz, General Manager of Barceló Residences Dubai Marina. – TradeArabia News Service