Growth strategies of ibis

Enjoying an occupancy rate of 89% this year, Muhammad Mujtaba Haider, General Manager, ibis Styles Dubai Jumeira, shares how the hotel has witnessed a steady growth strategy ever since its inception.

TT Bureau

Although ibis Styles Dubai Jumeira is a three-star property, it is on par with the four-star properties in the vicinity. Compared to other three stars, the property is distinct in many ways — large lobby, spacious rooms, the only dry property in the ibis chain in the UAE, family-oriented with separate prayer rooms and spa areas for males and females and a service that comes with a broad smile.

Muhammad Mujtaba Haider, General Manager, ibis Styles Dubai Jumeira, said, “We have identified some of our strongest markets in which we have top 50 nationalities completing 39,669 rooms nights, starting from January 1 till date. Emirati nationals from Abu Dhabi secure the first position with other emirates following on, with India and Saudi Arabia securing the second and third places, respectively. Our good nationality mix, repeated guests, corporate guests, long-term relationship with agents from different markets and strong support from brand website are some of our growth drivers to the property. On an average, we have also witnessed a good flow of walk-in guests — about eight to nine on week days and 15 to 17 over weekends.”

New markets
Haider also stated that in order to have repeat guests, they take an interest in each guests’ feedback. The hotel ensures that every guest is important and this practice has placed them well in the market. They are also participating in upcoming roadshows with agents specialised in the Vietnamese market and their new Columbia familiarisation trip. Haider says that as the Vietnamese were more interested in the four-star brands, they were not sure how the reaction would be. However, when they invited the agent to personally inspect the hotel, the agent had been very positive mentioning it is good and sellable and will attract their partners. Apart from the agent, business international trade exhibitions like EMITT (East Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel fair in Turkey, KITF (Kazakhstan International Tourism Fair), Azerbaijan International Travel and Tourism Fair (AITF) in Azerbaijan, roadshows in Spain, Portugal and Italy provide an excellent platform for business and networking opportunities.

Exemplary service
From day one, the hotel has been striving to ensure that it delivers high service standards. Operating with less than 90 associates and serving 191 rooms, an all-day dinning, gym, indoor swimming pool, spa, two specialty restaurants, the continued high occupancy rate of the hotel is testament to its achievements which also brings in a higher number of repeat guests. The employer and employee relationship enjoyed between the management and associates has ensured a happy set of service providers in the hotel.