DUBAI: Hyatt announced today that it will use the upcoming annual Arabian Travel Market (ATM) exhibition in Dubai as a platform for updating its key regional stakeholders on its development plans for major properties in Saudi Arabia and France, two critically-strategic markets for the US-headquartered hospitality company. Within Hyatt's pipeline are the 257-room, 37-suite Hyatt Regency Riyadh Olaya, and Hyatt Regency Mecca, offering 628 guestrooms, in addition to meeting facilities, several dining venues, a Regency Club lounge, a spa and fitness center, and 24-hour in room dining. “Over the last few years, the demand in the luxury market in Saudi Arabia has been very strong. Business travellers are facing challenges to reserve branded accommodation. Hyatt is a very deep rooted brand within the Saudi culture as we served the market for 23 years between Jeddah and Riyadh until 2003," said Tareq Daoud, Regional Vice President Global Sales—Middle East, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Southwest Asia. And, in time for summer travel, Hyatt's four newly branded French properties are expected to be fully converted by late April of this year, drawing heavily from the Gulf States as many travellers identify France as a top summer travel destination. “We continue to grow in a thoughtful way, focusing on the key destinations where Hyatt guests are traveling. Paris and Cannes are France's two most important cities for business and leisure travel, and Nice is one of the most in-demand resort areas in the world. We know Gulf travellers see France as a key destination for summer travel, and we are delighted to deliver more of our preferred hospitality to our guests from the region," said Ron Cusiter, Vice President, Sales Operations for Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Southwest Asia. The hotels will add more than 1,700 rooms to Hyatt's existing hotel portfolio in France, which includes Park Hyatt Paris Vendome, Hyatt Paris Madeleine and Hyatt Regency Paris Charles de Gaulle. The newly-branded hotels are as follows: * Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez (previously Hotel Martinez) on the exclusive Boulevard de la Croisette in Cannes. * Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Mediterranée (formerly Palais de la Mediterranée Hotel and Casino) boasting an excellent location in the city centre and prominent beach frontage. * Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile (previously Concorde Lafayette) – the only hotel with direct access to Palais des Congrès, the largest conference venue in Europe. * Hotel du Louvre, one of the most sought-after tourist and commercial districts in Paris, will become an Andaz following a two-to-three year renovation, BN
