Travel industry 'Oscar' celebrates service and product excellence
The Montgomerie, Dubai is 'The Best' in its class
Over 167,000 travel professionals from 200 countries take part in voting
Dubai, UAE; September 21, 2006: The Montgomerie, Dubai, a full-fledged golf resort in the extensive Leisure roster of global real estate major Emaar Properties, has been adjudged 'Dubai's Leading Golf Resort' at the 13-th Annual World Travel Awards (WTA).
The laurel is an endorsement by the world's leading travel professionals on the product quality and service excellence of The Montgomerie, Dubai - one of the two golf courses in the Emaar Leisure portfolio. More than 167,000 travel professionals, including 110,000 travel agents, from 200 countries voted for this year's edition of the World Travel Awards, described as the travel industry 'Oscars.'
The award was announced at a gala ceremony held yesterday in Turks and Caicos Islands and broadcast globally by WTA's official media partners - BBC World, the Entertainment Channel (US) and the Travel Channel (UK).
"The Montgomerie, Dubai was voted as 'The Best' in its class at the Awards, which celebrate excellence in the world's travel and tourism industry," said Mr Ken Kosak, General Manager, The Montgomerie, Dubai. "The award is one of the best international endorsements for us and will enhance the brand image of the facility. The Montgomerie, Dubai already enjoys the patronage of golf enthusiasts from all over the world and winning "the Best" in its class underscores our commitment in providing a 5-star product."
The Montgomerie, Dubai features a 7,266-yard championship golf course designed by eight-time European Order of Merit winner and Ryder Cup star Colin Montgomerie, in association with Desmond Muirhead. The links-land style course is consistently ranked as one of the top two courses in the Middle East, offering 81 bunkers and 14 lakes, along with generous fairways and deceptive greens that will both challenge and entertain all levels of golfer.
"This prestigious award underpins Emaar's core competency of developing value-added lifestyle options," said Christo Diamandopoulos, Director Emaar Leisure. "Emaar pioneered the concept of master-planned communities with the Emirates Hills development in 1999. Today, the company has handed over more than 14,000 homes in Dubai and built several self-sustaining neighborhoods. One of the key components in this growth was the addition of leisure elements - such as golf-side and marina living. The Montgomerie, Dubai indeed has served as a new lifestyle alternative for Emaar residents."
Managed by Troon Golf, the Montgomerie, Dubai has 5-star on-course accommodation, sophisticated dining outlets, the renowned Academy by Troon Golf, and Banyan Tree's Angsana Spa. "The award is the result of the exceptional services provided by the Troon Golf operations team," said Mr Kosak. "By offering unparalleled guest service on a daily basis, the Troon Golf team has redefined the parameters of service excellence and thereby ensures the continued patronage of international golfers."
WTA nominations are based on previous year's voting. Regional geographical categories are broken down from the Whole World category into eight areas - Africa, Asia/Pacific, Caribbean, Central and Latin America, Europe, Middle East, North America and South America. These are further divided into all specific areas of the travel industry. Additional worldwide awards covering specific markets, such as World's Leading Sports Resort, World's Leading Private Island, among others, broaden the scope of the voting.
Voting for the awards is done on-line at the WTA web site with most leading travel web sites offering additional on-line voting facilities. The Middle East reported a 14 per cent growth in voting this year, underscoring the emergence of the region as a strong tourism destination.
Emaar Properties conceptualized its leisure division to ensure that residents in its communities have access to exceptional sport and recreation facilities. The Emaar Leisure portfolio includes The Montgomerie, Dubai; Arabian Ranches Golf Club; The Dubai Marina Motor Yacht Club; The Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club; Hayya! Health clubs and Nuran Serviced Residences.
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Note to Editors
About Emaar Properties PJSC:
Emaar Properties, the Dubai-based Public Joint Stock Company and one of the world's largest real estate companies, is listed on the Dubai Financial Market and is part of the Dow Jones Arabia Titans Index. The company recently announced that its net profits for the half year ended 30 June 2006 reached AED 3.053 billion (US$0.831 billion) - a significant gain of 21 per cent over the first-half 2005 results of AED 2.533 billion (US$0.690 billion) - reflecting the remarkable growth the company has gained since its inception in 1997.
With more than 14,000 homes handed over to customers, Emaar has several major real estate projects under various stages of development in Dubai including Arabian Ranches, Dubai Marina, Emirates Hills, The Views, The Meadows, The Springs, The Lakes and The Greens. The company also owns and manages the Gold and Diamond Park.
Emaar has marched ahead with the construction of its AED 73 billion (US$20 billion) Burj Dubai Downtown development, which comprises the Burj Dubai - the tallest tower in the world when completed in 2008, The Dubai Mall, Burj Dubai Business Hub, The Lofts, The Old Town, The Old Town Island, Burj Dubai Boulevard, The Residences, Burj Views, man-made lakes, landscaped parks and gardens.
The company has joint ventures and projects across the region covering India, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. In July 2006, Emaar also announced the opening of a full-fledged representative office in China, thus becoming the first Middle East property developer to effectively tap the potential offered by the world's second largest economy. Emaar also entered the US market by acquiring John Laing Homes, the second largest privately held homebuilder in the U.S., thus creating one of the world's leading real estate developers in residential homebuilding.
In a move that scaled up its core competency in product sales across the international arena, particularly the Western hemisphere, Emaar acquired Hamptons International, the UK-based subsidiary of premier property developer Wheelock Properties (Singapore) Ltd in a deal worth AED 562.45 million (US$153.05 million). The acquisition covers Hamptons' UK offices and its joint venture with CB Richard Ellis Hamptons International in the UK and Hamptons International Oman; and will build Emaar's international network of offices to over 130 over the next few years.
Last year the property developer announced plans to aggressively expand the retail sector with investments of over AED 15 billion (US$4 billion) to develop approximately 150 malls in the larger
emerging markets of the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and the Indian subcontinent. In addition, Emaar has teamed up with Giorgio Armani S.p.A to build and manage 10 Armani hotels and resorts across the world; an Armani hotel will feature in Emaar's flagship Burj Dubai tower.
Earlier this year the company announced plans to expand its investments into the education and healthcare business. The education initiative will involve the establishment of international schools in the MENA region and India, which will offer premium quality education and an integrated curriculum for students ranging from kindergarten to tertiary levels.
Emaar's healthcare diversification will see the company invest around AED 18.35 billion (US$5 billion) over the next decade in the MENA and South Asia markets with the construction of hospitals, clinics and medical centres and the investment in the provision of world-class healthcare services.
While continuing to actively pursue expansion in its core business of innovative, high quality real estate development, Emaar has diversified into related business lines to further build value for its 59,000 shareholders, which includes the Government of Dubai. Emaar owns and manages EMRILL, a joint venture with the UK-based Carillion which provides innovative property and facilities management services. Emaar also holds 30 per cent equity in Dubai Bank, focused on retail and commercial banking and is the majority shareholder in Amlak Finance, UAE's leading Islamic home financing company. For further information, please visit www.emaar.com.
About The Montgomerie, Dubai
Unquestionably the most luxurious golf resort experience in the Middle East and managed by Troon Golf, The Montgomerie, Dubai boasts a 7266 yard championship golf course designed by 8 time European Order of Merit winner and Ryder Cup star Colin Montgomerie, in association with Desmond Muirhead. The spectacular links-land style course is consistently ranked as one of the top two courses in the Middle East, offering 81 bunkers and 14 lakes, along with generous fairways and deceptive greens that will both challenge and entertain all levels of golfer. 5-star on-course accommodation, sophisticated dining, the renowned Academy by Troon Golf, and Banyan Tree's Angsana Spa complete the region's most desirable golfing destination.
Sheer luxury on and off the course, The Montgomerie, Dubai is another world class development by the region's leading property development company, Emaar Properties PJSC, and is managed by the world's foremost luxury golf brand, Troon Golf.
For further information, please contact:
Michele Tonkin
Sales and Marketing Manager
The Montgomerie,
Dubai
Tel +971 4 390 5600
Email mtonkin@themontgomerie.ae
Kelly Home / Nivine William
ASDA'A Public Relations
Exclusive Affiliate of Edelman PR Worldwide in Middle East & North Africa
Tel: (+971 4) 335 5969;
Fax: (+971 4) 335 6080
E-mail: k.home@asdaa.com, n.william@asdaa.com
© Press Release 2006
