Saudi Gazette MAKKAH — After a three-year lull, caused by the giant expansion projects of the Grand Mosque, hotel industry in the holy city is expected to pick up starting next year, according to the general manager of Movenpick Hotel and Residences Hajar Tower Makkah. "The hospitality and hotel sector in Makkah is expected to flourish especially after the completion of the Grand Mosque's expansion projects and the opening of the Umrah season throughout the year," Adil Erfan said. He told Saudi Gazette that the hotels in the central area around the Holy Haram, which overlook the outside plazas of the Grand Mosque, are expected to take the largest chunk of the cake because of their strategic location. "These hotels offer high-class services to the customers and have ample job opportunities for the young Saudi men and women," he added. Erfan said their hotel is particularly determined to find work opportunities for the Saudi youth who will receive rigorous training to become excellent hoteliers. "We are intent on providing the Saudi youth with all the support they need to attain international professionalism," he added. Erfan noted that the Movenpick chain is the fastest growing hotels in the Kingdom with 10 hotels now in various parts of the country. He added, together these hotels have a combined capacity of 3,894 rooms. He said Residences Haja Tower Makkah alone has 1,200 rooms and five restaurants that serves millions of Umrah and Haj pilgrims every year. Erfan said the Riyadh Movenpick was opened in 2015 at a strategic location facing the Interior Ministry. "This new hotel has 438 luxurious units of rooms and suites," he explained. The general manager said a third Movenpick hotel will soon be opened in Jeddah to raise the Movenpick chain in the Kingdom to 15 by 2020. "This will open a big market for the Saudi youth to work in the hospitality sector in various areas in the Kingdom to serve the religious, business, conferences and entrainment tourism," he said. Saleh Al-Suraihi, deputy CEO, who also heads the human resources department, said Movenpick is making strenuous efforts to achieve a high rate of Saudization through the employment of promising young Saudi men and women. He said these young people will be working in the professional environment of the traditional Swiss hospitality. Suraihi said the management has employed a number of special needs people and is still attracting more of them through providing them with the work environment suitable to their abilities and skills. "We are providing the people of special needs with training in various hotel and tourist specializations," he added. He said the hotel is providing free-of-charge training to the hotel and tourism students prior to absorbing them in permanent jobs. Suraihi said the general administration in Switzerland and the regional administration in Dubai have prepared a training directory for all Movenpick staff to be trained on the job, in other Movnpick branches and abroad. "When they have successfully passed the training period, the trainees will be given certificates accredited by the Cornell University in New York," he said. The deputy CEO said the hotel is providing all its staff with major meals and medical insurance in addition to numerous other fringe benefits. He said the Movenpick chains have introduced a program titled the "professional hotelier" to train the Saudi youth to become high-class hospitality staff. "We are keen to satisfy the labor market needs for professional hoteliers especially that the educational output is still too small to cater to these needs," he added. Sultan Al-Thibaiti, front desk manger said the sector of hotel and hospitality had greatly developed in the Kingdom during the past 15 years. "A large number of international hotel companies have entered the Kingdom's promising hotel sector," he added. Thibaiti said the occupancy in Makkah usually reaches 100 percent especially in Ramadan and during the Haj season which is the highest rate in the world.
