Abu-Dhabi based Rotana, a leading hotel management company in the Mena region, will embark on a $750 million investment plan to help the group maintain its position as the largest hotel brand in the region. 

The group will open seven new hotels in 2012 including its first properties in Bahrain and Jordan, second hotel in Qatar, and expand its portfolio in the UAE with four additional hotels.

The expansion plans will see Rotana managing around 14,000 rooms across its properties by the end of 2012, it expects a 6 percent occupancy rate growth across its portfolio of hotels in the region when compared to 2011’s figures, a statement from the hotel group said.

Recent figures from the Hotstats survey of full-service hotels by Hotels TRI Hospitality Consulting show a robust and growing Middle East hospitality sector. 

Abu Dhabi reported a surge in occupancy in October while hotels in Dubai were as full as they were in 2007. Abu Dhabi registered the largest increase in occupancy in the region, growing 9.7 percentage points to 82.8 percent in October 2011 and moving closer to Dubai which saw occupancy increase to 87.3 percent during the month.

Selim El Zyr, president and CEO for Rotana, said: “The last year has seen the hospitality industry in the Mena region registering positive growth, despite several challenging economic and political factors. We have properties in Syria and Egypt, and whilst we have been affected by the unrest in both countries, we are hoping that the political situation will soon settle down. Airlines from the UK and the traditional European feeder markets to Sharm and Hurghada have planned an increase to their flights as of December.”

Rotana will require more than 3000 new employees to support its growth targets, a welcome development for an industry hit by substantial lay-offs as a result of the global downturn, the statement said. – TradeArabia News Service