Australian-based hotel management company StayWell Hospitality Group and Cristal Group, a leading hospitality group in the Middle East, are joining forces with the announcement of a strategic alliance.

The newly formed alliance will assist both parties in developing their respective businesses with a key focus on the Middle East Region.

StayWell CEO, Simon Wan, said that the group’s further expansion into the UAE market is a large focus with the upcoming openings of Park Regis Business Bay and Park Regis Boutique Jumeirah in 2017 followed by the opening of Leisure Inn Jumeirah and Park Regis Makkah in 2018. This significant alliance represents an important step forward in cementing the future expansion of the Park Regis and Leisure Inn brands.

“We have been focused on StayWell’s international expansion for quite some time.  This partnership will bring our combined portfolio to 13 hotels with approximately 2,600 rooms in the Middle East Region. This, coupled with the recently announced strategic partnership with the Manhatton Group in China, has significantly increased our global hotel network which is now in excess of 73 properties across Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, The United Kingdom, China and the Middle East,” Mr Wan said.

“Cristal are leaders in the business and leisure hotel space in the Middle East and Africa, and represent the perfect partnership in which to grow the Park Regis and Leisure Inn brands. The synergy and opportunity offered by this strategic alliance will combine the global strength of StayWell Group with the local knowledge of Cristal Hospitality enhancing further development of both companies’ goals globally, not just in the Middle East,” he said.

Dubai and the UAE offer huge growth potential for StayWell’s brands, with the region experiencing a boom in tourism that continues to attract travelers for both business and leisure. This growth is set to continue and Dubai Tourism envisages a rise in visitors in excess of 20 million by 2020*. This will demand quality accommodation and mean increased room nights.

As part of the agreement, StayWell is entitled to use Cristal’s brand on hotels outside the Middle East, while Cristal can use StayWell’s brand on hotels located within the Middle East. Cristal will also adopt key StayWell sales and marketing platforms and programs to further elevate their operations and hotel offerings.

Cristal Group CEO, Kamal Fakhoury, concurs with Wan, and said that the alliance will offer strategic benefits to both companies within the Middle East and globally. He further added that Cristal is looking forward to implementing strategic StayWell sales and marketing programs as well leveraging from its global presence.

“With both groups now present in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Erbil, and with properties opening within the next 12 months in Amman, Abha, Riyadh and Makkah as well as further properties in Erbil and the UAE, the expansion plan is very healthy and we expect to increase the portfolio to 20 properties within the next five years,” Fakhoury said.

“We are excited and very proud to forge a strategic alliance with such a well-known hotel company as StayWell, and we are looking forward to working as a team to achieve the combined proposed goals,” he said. - TradeArabia News Service