Hoteliers Predict Top Trends for 2011

UAE GMs talk about technology, food, marketing and business growth as they plan for next year.

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. December 21, 2010

December 20, 2010 - According to hoteliers in the UAE technology will continue to play a key role in hotels in 2011 as more hotels embrace the increasingly sophisticated world of mobile technology and in-room interactivity. Most hoteliers also agree that food will go back to basics with more healthy options and less fusion cuisine. General managers are also in agreement on where their marketing budget will be allocated next year - digital marketing and social media - and all are hopeful of a slow growth of business as the year moves to its close.

1. Technology

James Wilson general manager Dusit Thani Dubai: In-room technology will feature more prominently in the guest experience in the next few years with everything being available at the touch of a button. Interactive TVs with computer access and internet capabilities are going to standard fare and everything in hotel rooms from mood lighting to music are all going to be controlled and customised through technology.

Andreas Mueller general manager Taj Palace Hotel, Dubai : The big technology development for hotels in the near future will be Holographic Teleconferencing. Business travellers will be able to use 3-D holographic teleconferencing to include far-off members in a meeting. Smart cards are also going to be a new development within the next year or two. These cards will be embedded with a microchip and will be used by hotels to personalise the whole guest experience.

Thomas Tapken MD City Seasons Group of Hotels: There will be a dramatic change in hotel technology relating to the guest with travellers increasingly turning to social media sites to make hotel bookings directly using mobile technologies such as ipads and iphones.

2. Food and Beverage

Michael Sorgenfrey general manager Grand Millennium Al Wahda, Abu Dhabi : We are going to see more Californian style cuisine with an emphasis on natural and organic products this next year as diners strive to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

JW: Diners are going to be demanding healthier options when dining out and there will be pressure on chefs to deliver dishes that originate from sustainable sources. Organic will overshadow farmed ingredients in many restaurants this year and we will see a return to simple, identifiable dishes as opposed to fusion foods.

AM: 2011 is going to be all about healthy eating and a return to clean cuisine. Menus will be based on free-range, organic and low fat/low sodium dishes with a huge emphasis on grass fed beef, organic free range poultry and sustainable harvest fish and shellfish.

TT: There will be more focus on people's health and diet requests, with the trend moving towards people opting for healthy options including less calorific foods and less sugar. Healthier cooking styles such as Asian cuisine are also going to be become more popular.

3. Marketing

JW: Hotels will focus on strengthening their positioning and presence and that's where majority of the marketing expenses will be allocated. It is a buyer's market and the focus will be very much on communicating directly with guests through targeted social media platforms.

AM: We expect to spend more on online marketing this year; this will include pay per click (PPC campaigns), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and preferred placements with some of the major online travel agents (OTA).

TT: There is no doubt that social media will play a greater role in our marketing efforts in 2011 -particularly Twitter, Facebook and blogging but our marketing dollar will once again be channeled Into PR and tactical - not brand building - advertising.

MS: A greater portion of our marketing budgets this year will be allocated to digital marketing with a focus on social media and driving business through online bookings.

4. Business levels

JW: Hotel occupancy in the Middle East region is expected to slightly increase in 2011 but the pricing will be the same as that of 2010. Hotel rates therefore are not expected to increase in the first half of 2011 and even perhaps up to the end of the year, if at all.

AM: Hotel projects that had been delayed or frozen will be continued or completed, which increases the inventory of Hotel rooms and competition. Growth for 2011 is projected at 4.8 per cent and hotels have seen a good occupancy recovery in 2010 and we can assume that 2011 will see similar numbers and hopefully rate stability.

TT: Dubai hotels reduced the marketing spending after the recession and this will be reflected in 2011 bookings. However, what will help is that Abu Dhabi is still spending an incredible amount which assists Dubai both now and in the long run.

MS: We will see some business growth in 2011 but the summer months are expected to be flat much like the same period of 2010.

Hoteliers contributing to this article:

Andreas Mueller general manager Taj Palace Hotel, Dubai
James Wilson general manager Dusit Thani Dubai
Michael Sorgenfrey general manager Grand Millennium Al Wahda, Abu Dhabi
Thomas Tapken MD City Seasons Group of Hotels.