Hamad Abdulla Al Mulla (third left), Chief Executive Officer of Katara Hospitality, and Sheikh Nawaf bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani (centre), Chairman of Katara Hospitality, with other officials during the opening of The Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne in
DOHA: The siege countries targeted Katara Hospitality and hospitality sector in general, and they released fake reports about us, said Hamad Abdulla Al Mulla, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Katara Hospitality.
Speaking to a group of Qatari journalists, he said, there are some international companies that provide neutral reports and anyone can find the true information about income or any other information. Reports by the siege countries are part of their propaganda against Qatar and its success.
He said that the events that will be held before the World Cup 2022 will reinvigorate the market and take them to heights. New markets have been opened including Russian, Chinese and Indian, and we have Indian weddings happening for the first time in Qatar. India is a strong, large and distinctive market. Tourism, which has local cultural dimensions such as sitting in tents, attracts Europeans.
About hotels and resorts, Al Mulla said: “Al Masila Spa Resort is located in the centre of the city of Doha with 130 rooms. The resort will be the largest in Qatar with an area of 12,000 square meters. There are some works to be completed with contractors and some approvals expected by civil defence shortly. The project site is on the February 22 street opposite to the US Embassy.
The resort will be opened before World Cup 2022, but the final opening will be preceded by an informal opening.
About Marriott Resort in Doha, he said it will be fully renovated, and this will include building new parking. The tender has been awarded to the interested parties and the total renovation cost is between QR450m and QR550m.
Regarding a question about the development of the Mövenpick Hotel, Al Mulla said that the presence of petrol station near the hotel and car- parking at the back of it created discomfort for tourists. The renovation will not take more than one year and will be before the World Cup 2022.
The Westin Excelsior Hotel will be completely renovated, but the renovation will be in phases and will last for four years, because it is a big hotel and is located in a sensitive location. The hotel will remain open during the renovation.
The construction of Salwa Beach Resort will be completed by next year, and it is a huge project spreads over 3 sq km, and will be the largest project in the Middle East with 230 rooms and 84 villas. It will be a luxury resort and Qatar needs resorts. In the past we used to rely on other countries. Now demand is high in Qatar because Qatar resorts have 90% of these resorts on the sea.
“We are going to open a number of restaurants next year, one of them at the Ritz-Carlton, a restaurant in Al Sharq Resort and the Marriot Hotel, which will feature new restaurants,” he said.
Al Mulla added that: The prices in Qatari local market are competitive because of our offers such as 40 percent reduction in the summer period and other weekend offers that made prices attractive to customers. The percentage of occupancy compared to last year was the highest.
The profits are at excellent level which has encouraged us to expand our investment. However, 40 percent of the Katara Hospitality projects are under construction and a number of hotels are under renovation, so there will be no big profits because the operation is partial, but the profits are encouraging. All our efforts are now for the preparing for the World Cup 2022 according to the required specifications.
Commenting about competition from Qatari companies in the tourism sector, Al Mulla said that it serves as a great motivation to work.
Regarding the jobs offered by the projects of Katara Hospitality, he said: The jobs offered by these projects are large and range from 1,200 to 1,500 jobs, which means that we are talking about 2,500 jobs in hotels that are being renovated.
Foreign banks must be included in the financing of these projects to obtain financing, and self-financing ranges from 35 to 65 percent. Banks operate according to the policies of the Central Bank in each country and therefore they must also benefit from these projects through financing.
Investments in Jordan are part of investment of which was announced by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani which is about $500m, and includes investments in the electricity and tourism sector. There are two opportunities in the tourism sector, one in the Dead Sea and another in the capital Amman.
The most successful investments are located in Europe, which is a separate group because they are managed by one office and are considered the largest and most successful after hotels run by Katara Hopitality in Qatar.
About the hotel which is in Singapore , he said according to the plan it will open in the first quarter of 2019. The investment accompanying the hotel is considered the most important in the Singapore hotel.
