New ratings system for Dubai hotels.

June 19, 2008

Improved international standards are reflected in the Dubai hotels' new rating system to be announced soon. The growing travel market in Dubai is preparing to attract up to 10 million visitors by 2010, and by the end of 2008 planned developments will add as many as 2,000 extra rooms to fulfill the growing need for top class hotels. According to the director-general of the department of tourism and commerce marketing, Khalid bin Sylayem, the time for change has arrived, as the number of hotels in Dubai offering high quality lodgings is likely to increase to 488 over the next two years.

The new hotel rating system will include many hotel operations such as new medical and disability access needs. International standards of service and amenities will be paramount, and these will affect an establishment’s conference, spa, leisure, banqueting and business centre services. Hotels will fall into various categories, including leisure, business or niche commodities such as budget, boutique or theme park hotels. This system also extends to hotel apartments, which will be similarly classified as leisure or business accommodations.

Khalid bin Sylayem dismissed claims that Dubai hotels’ rates are higher than most, stating that the hotel service and accommodation in Dubai was of a higher standard than in other holiday destinations. He welcomed the advent of more budget hotels, since they diversify the variety of quality lodgings that Dubai has to offer. According to industry analysts, occupancy and average room rates in Middle Eastern hotels are the best in the world, and set to increase as Dubai and other such cities improve their facilities and conform more stringently to international guidelines. If the trend set in the first quarter of 2008 continues, hoteliers will enjoy a double-digit growth rate for the next five years.