Cristal Hotels and Resorts, an Abu Dhabi-based luxury hospitality company, has opened its new branch office in Qatar as part of its expansion plans.

The Cristal Hotels and Resorts Qatar is the second branch office to open following the Lebanon Office launch this month.

Announcing its Qatar foray, the hospitality group said the move comes following the aggressive expansion plan of Cristal Group set last year to increase their portfolio and brand presence in the region.

Cristal had earlier this month signed an agreement with Al Dana Development in this connection.

On the launch, Peter Blackburn, the president and CEO of Cristal Hotels and Resorts, said, "Qatar's economy had witnessed an impressive growth in the last eight years. Today it ranks first in Economy Competiveness within the Middle East and 26th globally based on the recent report of World Economic Forum."

"As a country Qatar has become one of the key markets for tourism and hospitality industry. And we believe there is still a great potential for the further growth for both inbound and outbound travel."

As Qatar’s economy progresses and diversifies, there are ample opportunities provided for growth and investment.

"Our new base in Qatar will allow us to get even closer to the region’s traveler and understand their needs which will translate into an even better hotel product that we will make available to our clients," he added.

The new office will be located in Doha and overlooking all the development and operations of the upcoming hotels; which expects to bring a total of three new properties to their portfolio in the next 5 years with the first hotel expected to be opened in 2013.
 
“With numerous world class events already attracting Mice business as well as leisure travellers, we are confident that our expansion plans will enrich our portfolio further with exciting new properties," Blackburn added.-TradeArabia News Service