60 SECONDS WITH MELIÁ HOTELS INTERNATIONAL'S FRANÇOIS KASSAB

On the sidelines of the ATM, HN ME spoke to François Kassab, managing director, Middle East and Africa, at Meliá Hotels International, who told us about the brand’s presence in the region and expansion strategy.

1. Where do you position Meliá in terms of leadership in the leisure segment?

With more than 375 hotels in 43 countries across four continents, Meliá Hotels International, the leading hotel company in Spain, is well known as the ‘Best Hotel Group in the World’ for leisure hotels. The leisure hotel segment has always been a priority for Meliá, as it is the only one among the top 20 international hotel groups that was born as a resort group. Resorts make up 45 percent of our operating hotels. We also currently have the most balanced mix of resort and city hotels; our Meliá, Gran Meliá, Innside by Meliá and ME by Meliá brands successfully operate in gateway cities throughout the world. This balance and the expertise in the leisure segment has given Meliá superior knowhow and excellence to succeed in responding to contemporary demand for ‘bleisure’ hotels, combining business facilities and services with a leisure and lifestyle experience.

2. What is your expansion strategy for the region and which markets interest you the most?

At ATM, we shared our latest communication about the new rebranding of the unique existing Polo Club & Resort as Desert Palm by Meliá from July 1, 2018. In addition, a further 13 hotels are in the regional pipeline and will be opened over the short term. Our focus for the remainder of 2018 is to introduce three new brands to the region: • ME by Meliá to Dubai, a flagship property designed by the late Zaha Hadid. • The first Innside by Meliá, our urban, upscale lifestyle brand, which will be opening in Doha. • The Gran Meliá Huravee, Maldives, which focuses on our strength in the leisure segment.

Going forward, we will focus on further growing our mid-to-upscale brands in both the leisure and urban segments, as well as more selectively, growing our premium brands, including Meliá, Gran Meliá and ME. The regional focus will be on the GCC and North Africa, but we will continue to explore opportunities across the whole of Africa.