Hotel occupancy rates in the Middle East region for the first half of 2008 were the highest in the world at 75.3 percent, according to Deloitte Middle East. It said the region's average room rate also topped the list at $180 and revenue per available room grew by 21.6 percent to $135. And Hyatt has continued its run of year-on-year growth in 2008, with the Middle East and China underpinning the hotel chain's global expansion. “In 2008, Hyatt saw greater numbers of both business and leisure travelers in the Middle East, and this increased demand for luxury accommodation is being met by Hyatt's continued expansion in the region,” said Thierry Bertin, vice president - Sales and Marketing - Middle East, Hyatt International Hotels and Resorts. “2008 marked the signing of a management agreement between Hyatt and Abu Dhabi National Hotels for Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi. The hotel, set to be completed in 2010, is located on Saadiyat Island and is surrounded by a world-class golf course,” he said. Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, which will boast a 9-kilometer stretch of breath-taking beachfront, is the 34th hotel in the Park Hyatt portfolio and the ninth Hyatt branded property in the Middle East region. “Our expansion strategy in Abu Dhabi also includes Hyatt at Capital Center which is scheduled to come online early in 2010. The Capital Center is an exceptional development which reflects the enormous growth currently taking place in Abu Dhabi,” Bertin said. For 2009, Hyatt will see the opening of two other key properties in the Middle East: Park Hyatt Jeddah - Marina, Club & Spa and Grand Hyatt Doha. Park Hyatt Jeddah - Marina, Club & Spa, a 142-room hotel, is located in the vicinity of the city's business district within the Equestrian Club grounds on a 140, 000-meter square complex with easy access to the Red Sea. Park Hyatt Jeddah will also boast a spa and wellness centre with separate facilities for men and women. Grand Hyatt Doha hotel and residential complex will open in spring 2009 occupying 155,000 square meters of idyllic beach landscape and offering 249 luxurious guest rooms and 91 private villas. The hotel, with its magnificent old-world design, will provide the highest quality accommodation to the growing numbers of in-bound travelers visiting Qatar as a destination for business, meetings, culture and sport. Hyatt has not only focused its attention on the burgeoning Middle Eastern market, but also in China where it opened three new hotels this year -Park Hyatt Beijing, Grand Hyatt Guangzhou and Park Hyatt Shanghai. Park Hyatt Beijing - the first Park Hyatt in China - is incorporated into the Yintai Center and is located on the famous Chang'an Avenue. The hotel, which joins the existing Grand Hyatt Beijing, occupies the topmost floors of the city's tallest skyscraper. “Hyatt continued its expansion in China with the opening of Park Hyatt Shangai, in addition to the existing Grand Hyatt Shanghai and Hyatt on the Bund. China is fast-becoming a superpower, and we want the development of the Hyatt brand to keep pace with China's own extraordinary growth,” Bertin noted. __
