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THE importance of the region to a hospitality giant’s ambitious expansion plans, which includes new properties in Bahrain, has been outlined this week by company executives.
Hilton Worldwide boasts more than 21,000 rooms in its pipeline across the Gulf, 16,000 of which are already under construction and scheduled to open before 2020.
They include the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bahrain – Juffair, currently set to open in the middle of next year. The DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bahrain Dilmunia Island, which will be located at the Dilmunia Island project, under development off the kingdom’s coast, will follow later.
Carlos Khneisser, Hilton’s vice president, development, Middle East, North Africa & Turkey, said: “Our active pipeline of 16,000 rooms under construction in the GCC is more than double the number of our nearest competitor.
“The deals we are signing are not just there on paper, they are quickly progressing through design and construction. The value we drive for our owners facilitates the speed of this growth as owners want to come back for more. Sixty per cent of the hotels in our pipeline are being developed together with existing Hilton owners and our team look forward to progressing further projects.”
The proposed 350-room hotel in Juffair will be a five-star property surrounded by cafes, shops and restaurants.
The project at Dilmunia will have 237 serviced apartments. Called DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bahrain Dilmunia Island, it will offer a mix of studio, one and two bedroom apartments. Guests will be able to choose from three dining outlets including an all-day dining restaurant, a lobby café and a pool café. Leisure facilities will include an outdoor swimming pool, a spa, health club and salon. For business guests, the hotel will offer four meeting rooms, a boardroom and a business centre.
