Viability's Guy Wilkinson writes a monthly column for Hotelier Middle East Magazine. This article originally appeared in June 2010. For more information about Viability, please visit http://www.linkedin.com/company/2347942 or http://www.viability.ae/

1. 16
COMMENT
Hotel chains confirm GCC
pipeline remains robust
Viability director Guy Wilkinson presents his research into the hotel development pipeline in
the Gulf and provides some key insights into the chains that are leading the rest of the pack
COLUMNIST
s hoteliers at the sharp end
A of operations brace them-
selves for another challeng-
ing summer in many GCC
locations, it may be a less than
comforting thought to know that
(Above) A Luxury Collection Hotel — Ajman.
(Left) Ramada Kuwait guest room.
(Below) Hilton Riyadh Hotel & Residence.
the ladies and gentlemen up at the
head office responsible for devel- MARRIOTT
opment, in their wisdom, are still TOPPED THE 2010
planning to launch an extraordi-
nary number of new rooms in the
RANKINGS FOR
region — just to add to the fun! BOTH HOTELS AND
A new survey conducted by my ROOMS, WITH 29
firm Viability shows that the 2010 PROPERTIES
pipeline of confirmed new hotel
rooms in the GCC is the second
AND 9572
largest on record — and we have ROOMS PLANNED
been doing this research for 12
years now.
We directly contacted some 80
hotel chains active in the GCC this sion, the pipeline is still looking as
year, of which 55 confirmed future strong as it ever was.
GCC projects. The survey showed In total, 19 chains each declared
that 283 hotels with 83,604 rooms more than 1000 rooms under devel-
were officially planned as of May opment, compared to 23 in 2009
2010, compared with 325 proper- and 20 in 2008. Marriott topped
ties and 92,026 rooms last year, the 2010 rankings for both hotels
equivalent to reductions of 20% and rooms, with 29 properties and
and 19% respectively. However, 9572 rooms planned bearing the
back in May 2008, at the peak of Marriott, JW Marriott, Courtyard
the real estate boom, we recorded by Marriott, Renaissance and Ritz-
82,357 rooms in 295 hotels, and that Carton brands. In second place,
in itself was a 10-year record. In Accor’s pipeline comprises 23
other words, recession or no reces- hotels with 6433 rooms under its
June 2010 • Hotelier Middle East www.hoteliermiddleeast.com