WITHIN the first eight months of opening, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai has made a significant contribution to the UAE’s rapidly expanding tourism and travel sector. Adding 804 rooms and over 7,500 sq m of indoor and outdoor event space to the market, the convention hotel is driving growth in the lucrative Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) market in the UAE.
Economic research released by The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) indicates that travel and tourism in the UAE is growing notably faster than the world GDP growth average, contributing 14 per cent to the economy in 2012 and exceeding the global average of per cent. The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai will respond to this demand directly with the introduction of a second tower, bringing the total room count in the hotel to 1,608 and adding two further options to a portfolio of 16 food and beverage outlets.
In the initial eight months the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai has recorded remarkable numbers in both individual and group bookings, establishing itself as a preferred hotel for international business travellers. Filling a noted gap in the market, the hotel is the first in Dubai capable of hosting groups, meetings and conventions of up to 1,000 people, where delegates can meet, sleep and dine in one location. An early model of success includes a USA based group that contracted for 700 rooms a night during the event, delivering over 2,600 room nights and indicating the international MICE demand and potential in the UAE.
Occupancy rates at the hotel are closely aligned with those reported in Dubai, which maintained an average of 88.2 since the beginning of the year. New figures referring to the first four months of 2013 have revealed that the hotel’s top five source markets for leisure are the United States (17 per cent), Saudi Arabia (16 per cent), UAE (14 per cent), the United Kingdom (seven per cent) and Qatar (five per cent). Meanwhile for group bookings, the UAE (25 per cent), United States (10 per cent), India (seven per cent), Belgium (five per cent) and the United Kingdom (five per cent) were the biggest drivers.
General manager Rupprecht Queitsch says: “The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai is proving to be a pioneering force on a number of levels. The owner Emirates Group had the vision to build a convention hotel with scale and facilities on par with most major MICE destination cities, making Dubai a viable and attractive option for high volume international conferences.”
The JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai opened its first tower to guests in November 2012 with 804 rooms, nine restaurants, five bars and lounges; including boutique steakhouse Prime 68 and experiential sushi restaurant, Izakaya. It is also home to Michelin-starred Indian Chef, Atul Kochhar’s first fine dining restaurant in the Middle East – Rang Mahal by Atul Kochhar. For relaxation and fitness, the hotel offers an outdoor swimming pool, state-of-the-art fitness centre and the sublime Saray Spa. The second tower will be open in 2014, adding a further 804 rooms and two more restaurants and lounges to the hotel.