Jumeirah Group sees strong results in first 4 months of 2013

Jumeirah Group, the global luxury hospitality company and a member of Dubai Holding, has announces its performance in the first quarter of 2013 and its mid-term growth strategy. --Operational Performance During the first quarter of 2013, average occupancy in Jumeirah's portfolio of hotels has increased by 9% globally, compared to the same period in 2012. In the same period the average daily rate rose by 9% and the revenue per available room, an industry standard for measuring performance, rose by 22%. The performance data is based on hotels that had more than 18 months of operations. Speaking at the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai, Gerald Lawless, President and CEO of the Jumeirah Group, said, "The full year of 2012 and the first four months of 2013 have been a tremendous success for Jumeirah. The Dubai hotels have truly benefitted from the continuing attraction of Dubai as a prime holiday and business destination. Our hotel in Abu Dhabi, Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, has established itself as one of the top must-visit locations in the capital. Our two properties in the Maldives are building a strong reputation in that market; and our network of European properties, including London, Frankfurt, Mallorca, Rome and Istanbul are performing well. Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel in Shanghai has developed a loyal customer base and is going from strength to strength." The top five source markets for Jumeirah's properties in the UAE continue to be Russia (19.0%), the United Kingdom (16.2%), the GCC (14.1%), Germany (7.4%) and the United States (3.5%). For Jumeirah's six properties in Europe, including London, Frankfurt, Mallorca and Rome, the top five markets were the UK (15%), UAE (11%), USA (9.4%), Germany (8.5%) and Saudi Arabia (6.4%); while the Asian hotels in China and the Maldives enjoyed strong flows of business from China, Russia, the UAE, USA and UK. The Dubai properties have benefited from a significant increase in business (115.2%) from Australia, and we look forward to welcoming more guests from that region as the new partnership between Emirates Airlines and Qantas develops. There has also been strong growth in business from the company's traditional markets for Dubai, namely the UK and Russia, with room-nights up 28.4% and 8.6% respectively in the first four months of 2013 compared to the same period last year. --New Madinat Jumeirah Hotel Starts over the Summer. In November 2012, approval was given for the construction of a fourth hotel within the Madinat Jumeirah resort in Dubai, complementing the existing properties - Mina A' Salam, Al Qasr and Dar Al Masyaf. It has now been confirmed that preparatory works on the site of the new 430-room hotel, which sits between Mina A' Salam and the Wild Wadi Waterpark, will start during the summer of 2013 and that construction is expected to complete by the end of 2015. This development brings Jumeirah's total number of hotels in the United Arab Emirates to 10, introducing further choice to its guests, employment opportunities to hospitality professionals and pride to the people of the UAE. --Opening in Kuwait on 07 May 2013. Jumeirah has also confirmed that its new hotel in Kuwait, Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel '&' Spa, will have its soft opening on 07 May 2013. The hotel is located 10 minutes from Kuwait International Airport and close to Kuwait City's business centre and major shopping malls. The secluded beachfront resort features 316 rooms and suites, 80 residential suites and 12 villas, six restaurants along with caf?s and lounges, a 3,500 m2 Talise Spa, a 200-metre private beach, two swimming pools and a children's play area. Additionally, extensive conference and banqueting facilities are available, including a showpiece 1,950 m2 ballroom. Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel '&' Spa is the company's first hotel in the Gulf region outside the UAE. -- Recruitment. There are now over 14,000 people employed at Jumeirah managed properties around the world, 60% of whom work in hotels owned by Jumeirah and 40% in hotels operated under management agreement. Within the workforce there are 140 different nationalities and with 2013 designated as the Year of Emiratisation, Jumeirah is introducing additional programmes to attract, train and retain the best Emirati talent. Gerald Lawless continued, "Travel and tourism is a major driver of economic development and we are proud to be contributing to it. The whole sector represents 9% of global GDP and employs over 255 million people globally or 8.7% of all people of working age and it one of the few sectors that is growing year on year. As a leading luxury hotel company, our focus for the immediate future will be on continuing to grow our brand presence in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific - and on bringing social and material benefits to the countries in which we operate. We are also working towards the Vision 2020. Under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum the emirate has successfully built a world class tourism infrastructure that will allow us to double the number of visitors by 2020. We also hope that Dubai will be selected as the host city of the World Expo 2020."