Occupancy soars in world's tallest hotel in Dubai

Boosting the UAE’s ability to cater to the business and leisure traveller, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai has announced its results for the first half of the year.

Having grown its inventory by 86 per cent since March 2014, the hotel has been able increase its RevPAR (revenue per available room) by 7.2 per cent and occupancy by 9.5 per cent. The hotel has also seen occupancies levels of over 80 per cent during the first six months of 2014, driven by the growing MICE industry.

 “The Emirates Group had the foresight to design the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai to meet the needs of large MICE groups,” said Bill Keffer, General Manager for the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai. “The objective behind this was to help position the UAE as a leading destination for large-scale conferences and events and drive the number of visitors to Dubai to 20 million by 2020. The hotel has always been described as a game changer and we are supporting this statement with our ability to win and support bids for large MICE groups coming to country,” he added.

In 2013, the hotel was able to offer 804 rooms with the opening of Tower One. This year, the Second Tower has provided JW Marriott Marquis Dubai with the opportunity to phase in an additional 804 rooms bringing the total inventory to 1,608 once fully operational.

Given the high number of suites and rooms planned, the Second Tower was released in three phases, with the final block of rooms being opened by October 1, 2014. The first of second tower rooms were released as planned in February. However, strong demand saw the inventory rise from 804 rooms to just over 1,100 instead of the planned 1,056 rooms.

The continued rise in occupancy levels led to the opening of an additional 258 rooms in April, bringing the total to 1,358.
As of June, the JW Marriott Marquis operates 1,500 rooms due to a strong group base and several large MICE bookings, including one contract for 900 rooms 1,800pax.

“The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai is playing a significant part in the growth of the business events sector, a key focus area of the government’s 2020 tourism vision. As part of our growth strategy we are positioning  Dubai as a global hub for world leading events and conferences; the success of this property in the first six months of 2014 is an indicator of the city’s growing prominence on the world stage,” added Hamad bin Mejren, Executive Director, Business Tourism.

The opening of the Second Tower will also see the introduction of a new lounge which will build on the hotel’s current 14-strong portfolio of restaurants and lounges. The new offering will have a 72nd floor two-tier function space, appealing to event planners worldwide, thanks to its breathtaking views of the Dubai skyline.

As a result, the hotel is in a position to host over 1,000 people to meet, dine and stay in one destination, enabling it to cater to the increased number of visitors, particularly those looking for conference and event facilities.

Keffer added: “Performance since the start of the year has been extremely positive and the hotel has exceeded the original opening plans for the Second Tower. The JW Marriott Marquis Dubai has clearly demonstrated that it is well set up in terms of its product, management and associates to deliver for large groups that require 1,000 or more guests to be accommodated and dined in one location. We already have several large groups booked for 2015 and as the hotel’s reputation grows internationally, it is certainly supporting the focus of Dubai to drive business tourism.”
 

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