Riaz Khimani, managing director, Rikan General Trading, who were the headline sponsor at this year’s GM Leaders Conference, is preparing for a 30% increase in business due to the increase in new hotels expected across the region over the coming years. 
Speaking to Hotel News ME at the GM Leaders Conference, Khimani said: “There are many new hotels expected in the region and as a supplier to the 4-star and 5-star market we expect for this to result in a 30% increase in business for us”.
STR’s April 2016 Pipeline Report shows 152,580 rooms in 541 hotels Under Contract in the Middle East and 55,078 rooms in 289 hotels Under Contract in Africa. Under contract data includes projects in the In construction, final planning and planning stages but does not include projects in the unconfirmed stage.
The Under Contract total in the Middle East subcontinent represents a 41.3% increase YoY and a 40.9% YoY increase in rooms in construction. The Middle East reported 80,933 rooms in 251 hotels under construction for the month.
Among the key markets in the Middle East and Africa, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, reported the largest number of rooms in construction with 20,790 rooms in 11 hotels. Three other markets reported more than 5,000 rooms in construction: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (20,291 rooms in 65 hotels); Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (6,870 rooms in 31 hotels); and Doha, Qatar (6,100 rooms in 27 hotels).
