Since holiday makers have become savvier about what they want from their hotel stays, and competition has continued to rise between operators in the hotel sector for corporate business travellers’, the level of attention paid to the interior design of hotels in the Middle East has increased significantly.
While it used to be standard that exhausted executives, who had spent hours travelling through airports and dragged through meetings, did not care much for the design of their surroundings, times have changed. These days the business traveller is more discerning about their environment. With travel away from home seen by many as a burden, they look for the experience to be as rewarding as possible when it comes to comfort.
“People who travel for business generally dislike being away from home and their families. They want the time away to be as swift and comfortable as possible. When it comes to paying attention to detail, InterContinental Hotels Group excels at providing a service that mirrors the comforts of home,” said Chris Moloney, Chief Operating Officer, InterContinental Hotels Group, Middle East and Africa.
Acknowledging that the stunning design of a property does not act as the driving factor for a business traveller making the trip, Moloney says that it does play a part in repeat business. “We know from our records that we have many repeat visitors to our properties here in the Middle East. They keep coming back because they appreciate our across-the-board standard that is implemented throughout all InterContinental Hotels Group properties.”
Additionally, with a boom in the number of people traveling for holidays, and staying in hotels, operators have experienced a greater need to provide better standards of design and care to ensure that they keep winning business.
“The standard of holiday-properties here in the Middle East is extremely high and we know that visitors to this region now expect the very best. This means that all hotel operators have to go the extra mile when it comes to creating the right sort of holiday environment,” said Moloney.
Around the world, InterContinental Hotels Group has achieved success based on its formula for always designing a hotel with the local market in mind. Across the Middle East, rooms in InterContinental Hotels Group properties are designed to reflect their location.
Design is a vital element of the hotel’s brand – which in turn determines how it is viewed by customers. Adding a touch of ‘local flavour’ to the interior design of properties is so much an integral part of the InterContinental Hotels Group brand that sales team use the local design element as a selling tactic.
Here in the Middle East for example, indigenous materials – such as Jordan stone or Omani marble – are used wherever possible in projects in those countries. Additionally, the interiors are also showcases for local timber, stone, terracotta, pottery, fabrics and woven materials.
An example of an InterContinental Hotels Group property that has aimed to meet the exacting needs of business travellers’ in the Middle East is the award-winning InterContinental Riyadh. To make doing business in Riyadh easier than ever before, the property ensures that all needs are met with its hi-tech facilities and professional staff. With a range of luxurious accommodation, which provides you with all the familiar comfort of your office and home in a secure environment, each guest’s room allows room for space and work. ‘But we did not stop there – each guest also gets the very best in comfortable bathrobes, a trouser press, facsimile, high speed Internet access, and the ability to stay in the newly renovated Club InterContinental rooms and suites.’
Stunning design and impressive decoration are also a trait of InterContinental Hotels Group properties in the Middle East. An outstanding example of the fine detail that is shown can be found at the InterContinental Le Vendôme Beirut, which reflects a world of refined elegance. With its distinctive decor, superb location and outstanding service, InterContinental Le Vendôme has truly earned its reputation as one of the world’s finest hotels.
All of its guestrooms and suites offer an elegant ambiance and outstanding service with supreme comfort in one of the world’s most alluring cities. Ceiling to floor windows offer access to balconies with scenic views of the Mediterranean and the city. Spacious sitting areas combine stylish colors, graceful and pleasing to the eye. All rooms have large bathrooms with a double vanity, a separate bathtub and Penhaligans amenities. Twin bedded or king bedded rooms are also available. All rooms have a working area with access to a high-speed broadband Internet connection through a World Link connector. Other facilities include individually operated digital climate control, radio, a plasma TV with DVD player and on command in-house DVDs. Rooms are equipped with a personal mini bar refrigerator, a personal safe, telephones with two lines and personal voice mail, pillow-menu, hair dryer, bathrobe and slippers. A fresh fruit basket, silver tray of cookies, chocolate and pastries are replaced everyday.
Believing that caring for visitors extends past the color of the walls and the tiles in the bathroom, InterContinental Hotels Group also focuses on choice. Paying particular attention to room design and lay-out, the hotel chain also ensures that people can choose the pillows they want and the coverings they require. ‘Enjoying your stay at a hotel really comes down to comfort and all of our team is experienced at meeting the demands of our customers.’
“All hotel chains should make an effort when it comes to their rooms and interiors. We believe that the design of a property is a way for us to express the level of service that we aim to provide to our customers. By putting a lot of thought into the design of our properties, we are showing how much we care,” concluded Moloney
About InterContinental Hotels Group
InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels across the region can be booked with toll-free calls to the InterContinental Hotels Group Middle East Central Reservations Office in Bahrain (80000 880), Egypt (0800-4433322), Jordan (0800-22666), Kuwait (473 2100 ext 6233), Lebanon (01 426-801 - ask operator to connect to 866 866 7556), Oman (800 777 999), Pakistan (00800 909 971234) Qatar (0800 971234), Saudi Arabia (800 897 1465), and the UAE (800 4642).
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's largest hotel group by number of rooms. InterContinental Hotels Group owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, more than 3,500 hotels and 535,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognised and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites® and Hotel IndigoTM, and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club® Rewards, with over 25 million members worldwide. In addition to this, InterContinental Hotels Group has a 47.5% interest in Britvic, one of the two leading manufacturers of soft drinks, by value and volume, in Great Britain. InterContinental Hotels Group offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ichotelsgroup.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from InterContinental Hotels Group, visit our online Press Office at www.ihgplc.com/media.
