29 April 2017

Dubai, UAE: Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor welcomed a delegation from Hilton Worldwide led by the President & CEO, Christopher J Nassetta. The meeting, which took place at the Al Habtoor Group head office, was also attended by Simon Vincent, President (EMEA), Hilton Worldwide and Rudi S. K. Jagersbacher, President - Middle East & Africa. Present from the Al Habtoor Group was Mohammed Al Habtoor, Vice-Chairman & CEO; Maan Halabi, Managing Director; Sanjeev Agarwala, Chief Operating Officer – Hospitality and Investments and Sunderesh Iyer, Chief Operating Officer, Al Habtoor Investment.

They discussed the Al Habtoor Group’s properties under the Hilton brand. The Al Habtoor Group owns five Hilton properties around the world including The Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, Hilton Beirut Habtoor Grand, Hilton Beirut Metropolitan Palace, Hilton London Wembley, and The President Abraham Lincoln, Springfield – A DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

Khalaf Al Habtoor said he was very pleased with the performance of the hotels particularly The Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, which is extremely well established since it opened in 2014. Earlier this year, the hotel won the highly-coveted Chairman’s Award at the Al Habtoor Group’s annual Employee Excellence Awards. The award is hand-picked by the Chairman himself.

They also discussed Dubai as a tourist destination. The city welcomed a record 14.9 million visitors in 2016 according to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). In addition, Dubai International Airport retained its position as the world's busiest hub for international passengers in 2016, handling 83.6 million travellers.

Al Habtoor said, “Dubai is the safe haven of the world. This is why it continues to see more tourist and investors come to the city year after year. Dubai has benefitted significantly from its reputation as a safe haven for tourism and for business. This city is always evolving thanks to our visionary leaders.”

-Ends-

About Al Habtoor Group
Al Habtoor Group, headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is one of the region’s largest and most respected conglomerates. Founded in 1970 by Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, the Group has grown in unison with the UAE and today has a diverse portfolio of successful business operating in key sectors of the economy (hospitality, automotive, real estate, education and publishing). The AHG has an unwavering commitment to excellence, which is apparent throughout all its units.

Further information on the Al Habtoor Group is available on www.habtoor.com

© Press Release 2017