Gavin M. Faull, Chairman and President of Swiss-Belhotel International

Swiss-Belhotel International unveiled today at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) its global expansion strategy with a goal to reach 250 hotels worldwide with 50,000 rooms in operation and under development by 2022. The group currently holds a portfolio of 145 hotels and projects with 14 unique brands spread across 24 countries. Attending the ATM are Gavin M. Faull, Chairman and President of Swiss-Belhotel International, Matthew Faull, Senior Vice President of E-Commerce, Distribution and IT and Laurent A. Voivenel, Senior Vice President, Operations and Development for the Middle East, Africa and India, along with other senior management from the region.

Faull, said, “We are seeing an excellent growth momentum across our portfolio of brands with owners increasingly wanting their hotels to be managed by an international brand, which is different from large international hotel companies. 2019 is a very significant year for us whereby we have 28 new hotels lined up for opening and out of these, 35% will be located in the Middle East, while the remaining 65% are spread across China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Germany and New Zealand. We will continue to strengthen and develop our various brands while maximizing returns for owners and accelerating growth in emerging countries as they get easier to reach with greater global accessibility and connectivity. Vietnam is a good example of a fast-growing tourism destination in the Asia Pacific with the country seeing phenomenal progress in the past 12 months. Similarly, the Middle East’s strong travel and tourism outlook matches our ambitious expansion goals and presents us with robust opportunities that we are eager to capitalize on.”

Another announcement was made by the company’s Senior Vice President of Operations and Development for the Middle East, Africa and India Laurent A. Voivenel. He stated, “Geographically, our key focus is to expand and reinforce our position in the GCC through strong organic growth with an objective to have a hotel in operation in every GCC country by Q1 of 2020.”

Voivenel stressed, “The region continues to present us with fantastic opportunities to further enhance and diversify our portfolio. We are going to open this year in the GCC seven exceptional hotels, two in Kuwait, one in Oman, two in Bahrain, one in Saudi Arabia and one in Qatar. In addition, we have a robust development pipeline that will double our inventory of keys by 2020.”

The Middle East is the third largest growth market for Swiss-Belhotel International after Asia, New Zealand and Australia. Voivenel stressed, “With 17% of our global portfolio of hotels centered in the Middle East and Africa region, comprising 3,000 rooms, it is a very important region for us. Our overall strategy is to accelerate expansion across the MENA region whereby we have mapped out exciting opportunities. Our target is to have 25 hotels representing approximately 6,000 rooms in the region. However, GCC will continue to be our biggest market with 60% of portfolio concentrated in high-growth business and leisure destinations by 2025.”

Elaborating on the development and the ambitious tourism strategy set by regional governments, Voivenel added, “The huge investment in airports, infrastructure and hotels, broadening portfolio of attractions and facilities, diversification of source markets and collaboration between various business sectors are all accelerating the pace of the GCC’s growth into the future and at Swiss-Belhotel International we are well-placed to capitalize on the opportunity. The upcoming openings, representing our compelling portfolio of diverse brands, will strengthen our presence in the region while giving more choice to travelers.”

About Swiss-Belhotel International

Swiss-Belhotel International currently manages a portfolio of more than 145 hotels, resorts and projects located in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Bahrain, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Tanzania. Awarded Indonesia’s Leading Global Hotel Chain for eight years, Swiss-Belhotel International is one of the world’s fastest-growing international hotel and hospitality management groups. The group provides comprehensive and highly professional development and management services in all aspects of hotel, resort and serviced residences.

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