Hotel industry awards for The Address, Four Seasons Beirut and Hyatt Hotels Dubai

05 May 2009
Innovation, design and staff accommodation recognised at AHIC Development Awards

On the final day of the Fifth Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC), awards were presented to regional hotels judged to have achieved excellence in the fields of design, innovation and staff accommodation.

Best New Hotel Award went to The Address in Downtown Burj Dubai, recognised for its integrity of design and service excellence, while the Six Senses Hideaway, Zighy Bay, Oman and Holiday Inn Express, Safa Park, Dubai received certificates of merit.

The award for Best Hotel Innovation was presented to the Four Seasons Beirut, opening later this year in the Lebanese capital. Unique properties of the waterfront hotel include earthquake design with a floating structure, an open-air pool 120 metres above ground, the highest sky bar in Beirut and direct tunnel access to a marina. Other contenders for this award were the Anantara Resort & Spa at Blue City, Oman and V...Greece, The World in Dubai.

A new award for 2009 was for the best staff accommodation in the region's hotels, and this was won by the Hyatt's Sahari Village in Dubai, a resort style accommodation complex for the company's three hotels in the city with a central entertainment village, concierge services and a range of social and sports activities from yoga to cricket tournaments. Certifications of merit were also presented to the InterContinental, Port Ghalib, Egypt; The Village, JW Marriott Dubai and The Fairmont Dubai.

The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference ran from May 2-4, 2009 at Dubai's Madinat Jumeirah Convention Centre and was jointly organised by Bench Events and MEED.

Details can be found on www.arabianconference.com.

Platinum sponsors Ministry of Brazil, Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), Sovereign Hospitality Holdings, The Rezidor Hotel Group and Wyndham Worldwide.

Emerald sponsors The Address Hotels and Resorts, Accor Hospitality Middle East, ESPA International UK, Hilton Hotels, InterContinental Hotels Group, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, Jumeirah Group

Gold sponsors Aldar Hotels & Hospitality, Almulla Hospitality, Arabian Travel Market, Corinthia Hotels, Davis Langdon, Deloitte & Touche (M.E.), Fairmont Raffles Hotels International , Golden Tulip MENA, Hamilton Hotel Partners, Horwath HTL, HVS, IBAHN, Jebel Ali International Hotels, King Sturge, Langham Hotels International, Layia Hospitality, Molinaro Koger, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, OBM International, Rotana Hotels, Siemens, Shaza Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc, Strategic Solutions, Taj Hotel Resorts & Palaces, THR, TRI Hospitality Consulting, Vision Overseas Holdings, WATG.

Media partners ATM, BTN, Destinations of the World News, DVV Media, Eye of Dubai, Hospitality News Magazine, Hospitality-Interiors.com, Hospitality.net.org, Hotelier Middle East, HotelNewsNow.com, Hotel Analyst, Hotelier Middle East, Institutional Investor, Sleeper, The Times Middle East and TTN.

International Broadcast Partner CNN

Official Arabic Speaking Broadcaster CNBC

Official Online Media Sponsor - AME Info

Official AHIC Video Producers - Decision Makers TV

Supporters Bang & Olufson, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Dubai Convention Bureau, The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, IH&RA, International Tourism Partnership (ITP), Villeroy & Boch, WTTC.

-Ends-

About the organisers:
Bench Events
As organisers of top conferences for the hotel and investment industry, Bench Events is a growing entity which currently hosts hotel investment conferences in Berlin, Dubai and Moscow in partnership with other leading providers. Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of Bench Events is one of the organisers and founders of the International Hotel Investment Forum held each year in Berlin. In 2005, he was responsible for launching the successful Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai and in 2008, hosted the Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference in Moscow. Worsley sits as an advisor to the World Travel & Tourism Council which represents many of the leading companies operating worldwide in the travel and tourism industry. He is also a shareholder and board director of STR Global which is the new entity for global benchmarking outside North America following the merger of The Bench, Smith Travel Research and Deloitte's Hotel Benchmark.

www.benchevents.com

MEED
MEED is internationally recognised as providing essential business intelligence for anyone doing business in, or with, the Middle East and North Africa. With journalists and contacts across the entire Middle East and North Africa region, MEED provides reliable, up-to-date business news, analysis and data in both print and online. MEED attracts customers from across 78 countries worldwide.

www.meed.com

www.meedprojects.com

For further information on speakers/sponsors please contact:
Gillian Powell
Tel: +44 208 297 2053
Email: gillian.powell@benchevents.com

Jennifer Pettinger
Tel: +971 (0) 442 17129
Email: jennifer.pettinger@benchevents.com

For further information on marketing/logistics please contact:
Diana Gregory
Tel: +971 (0) 4 375-7987
Email: Diana.gregory@meed-dubai.com

Dee Booth
Tel: +971 (0) 4 433 5187
Email: Dee.booth@meed-dubai.com