Roda reimagines Arabian hospitality

The Roda Hotels and Resorts is poised to become the region’s most prominent home-grown hospitality brand owing to its efforts to promote contemporary Arabian hospitality, reveals Louay Sarrage, Corporate Vice President for Strategy and Development, Roda Hotels and Resorts.

In operation since 2014, Roda Hotels and Resorts has espoused the essence of offering personalised and authentic Arabian hospitality in a contemporary setting. Talking about the hotel group’s unique identity, Louay Sarrage, Corporate Vice President for Strategy and Development for Roda Hotels and Resorts, says, “From a product’s perspective, each one of our properties offers a unique experience. From a guest’s perspective, our service DNA is all about personalisation and engagement with the guest throughout the journey. From an investor’s standpoint, we pride ourselves in being a hotel brand with a strong track record and expertise in asset management and real estate. This expertise originates from our parent company, Dubai International Real Estate, which has been a prominent real-estate and hotel development company for more than 20 years.”

Their portfolio includes six properties in Dubai, out of which two prominent hotels are Roda Al Murooj and Roda Al Bustan. A five-star property located in the middle of Dubai’s most prominent business and leisure area, Roda Al Murooj Hotel Downtown Dubai is the crown jewel of the hotel group.

The five-star Roda Al Bustan Hotel Dubai Airport welcomes guests with warm Arabic hospitality and modern comforts. The property seems ideal for business guests, individual travellers, as well as families, as they provide all the ingredients that make travelling for business or leisure an equally enjoyable experience.

In addition, the hotel group’s portfolio includes a collection of serviced residences across Dubai. Roda Amwaj Suites is located at the Jumeirah Beach Residences, one of Dubai’s most desirable sea-side locations. Roda Boutique Villas and Roda Beach Resort are situated in the chic central Jumeirah district while Roda Metha Suites is located a few minutes from Dubai’s historic trading areas.

Each property has a slightly different business mix when it comes to feeder markets. Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries are the most important feeder markets for the Group as they believe they are better equipped and aware to cater to the specific needs of these travellers. Other strong feeder markets are Russia/CIS countries as well as China. Besides, the western markets of the USA, the UK and the EU continue to be strong feeders for Dubai.

“Given that our restaurants make up a substantial portion of our hotel business, one of the main challenges was to find a new innovative loyalty and rewards approach for our guests who frequent our restaurants and establishments. Therefore, we’ve recently partnered with Plan B solutions, a Dubai-based company that has been pioneering in this field. The company’s services have rapidly expanded with their successful Elite Club Program which is now active in more than 30 countries. Today, this app-based platform combines over 300 independent and internationally branded hotels and resorts under one loyalty umbrella that offer attractive benefits to more than 23,000 members worldwide. We’ve recognised the potential benefits from such a sharing-economy platform and decided to adopt this programme by curating new memberships within our own restaurants and hotels to drive guest loyalty under the Roda Elite Club programme,” Sarrage says.

In terms of development, the group has various projects in the pipeline, including some iconic hospitality and tourism destinations such as the Jewel of the Creek located directly on the Dubai Creek by the Maktoum Bridge. The first phase is due for completion next year and will include a five-star hotel property, four towers of serviced residences and a wide variety of restaurants, entertainment venues, a large marina and an iconic crystal water lagoon. The second phase will include two lifestyle hotels connected to an exciting events pavilion and a twin-tower aparthotel, purposely designed for families and guests from the GCC region. They also have a 900-key grand beach resort under construction, located on Jumeirah Beach Road at the entrance of Dubai’s water canal.