Jumeirah Group, a Dubai-based luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, said its occupancy levels reached 84.6 per cent over the first four months of the year, with an average daily rate of Dh2,385 ($649) and revenue per available room (RevPar) came in at Dh2,018.

The growth posted about 5.2 per cent growth in revenues last year, while maintaining a strong earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) performance, said a statement.

Across the Jumeirah portfolio of hotels, resorts and residences in Dubai, the company secured an occupancy rate of 80.1 per cent and an average RevPAR of Dh1,708.

The UK continues to be the largest single source market for Jumeirah’s portfolio of hotels, resorts and residences around the world, representing a total 15.2 per cent of total room nights sold.

Russia has come in to be the second largest source of revenue for the hotel group. Business from the Gulf region grew by 13.9 per cent in the first four months of the year compared to the same period in last year.

In the course of 2014, Jumeirah Group signed six new management agreements - four of these were in Guangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan and Haikou in China, one in Mauritius and one in Dubai
for the new Venu brand.

The company has signed an agreement to manage Jumeirah Bodrum Palace in Turkey – the hotel opened as a Jumeirah resort on May 1.

It also announced an agreement to manage a Jumeirah resort on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. The construction of Jumeirah Al Naseem, the 430-room hotel that completes the Madinat Jumeirah Arabian Resort, is under way and is scheduled to open next year.

Meanwhile, the Jumeirah website saw traffic increase by 12 per cent to almost 12 million visitors last year, with revenue from online bookings rising 11 per cent compared to the previous year.

Speaking at the annual Arabian Hotel Investment Conference at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, Gerald Lawless, president and chief executive officer of Jumeirah Group, said: “The results of our performance in 2014 are very encouraging. We not only continue to build on the success of our existing portfolio of hotels, resorts and restaurants, but we are investing in the future of the company through innovative projects, such as the construction of Jumeirah Al Naseem at Madinat Jumeirah, through the refurbishment of Mina A’Salam and other properties, and the relaunch of iconic restaurants such as Pierchic.

“We are also investing in our colleagues, opening up new opportunities for career development through our expansion strategy, attracting Emirati professionals to join us and driving a performance culture through the organisation. Although the economic environment is tougher in 2015, we have got off to a good start and look forward to another successful year.” - TradeArabia News Service