Sofitel is largely for MiCE business

Gaze over the Arabian Gulf from Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche blended with French luxury and style. Wesam Khouran, Director of Operations of the property, speaks with TravTalk on the plans ahead.

TT Bureau

What is the USP of the property?
The hotel’s location by the Corniche and near to the Sheikh Zayed Complex is unique for the hotel. It’s distinctive interior designs, blended with French and Arabic cultures also makes the property a great place for travellers. All our suites, with floor to ceiling windows, have beautiful views of the Corniche and Arabian Gulf.

Could you share the general feeder markets to the property?
Sofitel Abu Dhabi Corniche has an established position in the market for corporate and MiCE business. We also have groups from the GCC focused on business meetings as well as from Europe and Asia. We maintain the market share for leisure segments from the UK, France and Germany.

Abu Dhabi is on its way to making a mark with new attractions. How will this contribute towards gaining different markets?
The opening of new attractions like the Louvre and the upcoming Warner Brothers is set to witness an increase in traffic. We are looking forward to welcoming more leisure and tourist guests that can cater to the increasing supply of rooms in Abu Dhabi. Local tourists from other emirates will also increase footfall in the capital.

What are the latest trends in terms of trade in the UAE? The diversification of the UAE’s economic platform and reducing reliance on its oil revenues gives us an overview of the direction of the country. We’re seeing many mega infrastructures being built, as well as plans for tourist attractions that focus on both culture and enjoyment. There are also plans to connect Abu Dhabi and Dubai which will be a positive change for residents and tourists alike. For hotels, we will continue giving importance to the rising markets such as China and India and cater to the needs of these markets.

What are the strategies used to gain more business to your property?
We align our strategies along the Abu Dhabi Tourism authority target market and actions as this is a great benefit to combine the destination with the hotel. With the ongoing changes in the global market, we continuously align change and improve our methods to target new opportunities. The corporate industry has constant changes with new or revised projects and new openings or existing developments. We ensure that we focus on these and target all upcoming opportunities, as we do have a core business of corporate and meetings.