The Business Year

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Nather Auchi

Vice-President, Le Royal

Lebanon is a country that boasts a very diversified hospitality market, shifting constantly between business, leisure, spa tourism, MICE tourism, and so on. Right now it’s not a steady market as we all know, considering the conflicts in the greater region. From my point of view it’s actually a very strange and mixed market as people continue to spend large amounts of money on different types of hospitality products. Despite the economic situation, this country is alive and kicking. The hospitality sector is resisting the Arab Spring and the political instability that has crept close to our borders. In other words, this is a country where miracles can happen. Thanks to new online tools and a vigorous marketing team, we’ve opened new markets. This of course has to do with the fact that some destinations have large Lebanese communities, and our strong marketing efforts in this respect have paid off.

Fady Sawaya

General Manager, Crowne Plaza Beirut

Crowne Plaza has been in the market for 11 years, a fact in which we take pride. The location of the hotel is also something that we put a lot of consideration into. It is situated on one of the busiest streets in Beirut, and is a historical street for the new Lebanon. There are two universities near our hotel, as well as large hospitals and centers of cultural heritage. When people visit and want an authentic experience, we tell them about Hamra Street. This is why our hotel is special in terms of its location. The facilities we provide are important as well. We have 190 rooms and suites in addition to nine meeting rooms. Any convention or meeting that takes place in the city can be accommodated here. It is the only five-star branded hotel on the street, and is part of an international chain. The rest of the nearby hotels are non-branded. We have 93 million InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Rewards Club members, meaning these people have a place to stay in Beirut when they visit.

Mazen Salha

Chairman, Mazen Salha

One of the main strengths of the market is that we are in an area that, until recently, was very buoyant and active. Lebanon was the recreation center for all of the Arab countries that surround it until the latest developments began. It was ideal for Arabs as it is close and the language is, of course, the same. It offers things that Turkey cannot offer due to the language barrier. The same is true for Europe. This was really the playground of most of these economies. This has unfortunately changed in the past three years. It started with the travel ban, and customers started to explore new areas for recreation and began visiting Turkey, Morocco, and the Far East. We paid dearly for that. Our weakness is in our political instability. We have gone through a lot of ups and downs. This has affected us quite severely. The travel ban has been the most problematic and significant development.

Nassim Kanso

Chairman, Owner & General Manager, Queen’s Hospitality Group

In 2012, the Queen’s Suites Hotel occupancy average was between 75% and 80%, which is good, taking into consideration the size of the hotel and the instability in the country. Because of the unstable situation in Lebanon, we couldn’t target leisure tourism as much as business and especially medical tourism due to the fact that we are in the beating heart of Lebanon and nearby hospitals or clinics—we are very close to the American Hospital and other important medical centers. In Lebanon we don’t have a lot of leisure tourism, because in order to have tourism, visitors need to feel safe and free; they need to feel that they can stay where they want and shop where they want without fear. If a tourist comes to Lebanon now, they will find no peace here or in the whole region, and it is very difficult for businesses and ambitious businessman like me. When I look to invest in a new building, I look for what it might be worth in a couple of years’ time.

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