Growing from a group to a chain
Ayla Hotels and Resorts Management Company is gearing up for its third property in Al Ain – the Ayla Grand Hotel, to open by Q1 2016. In addition, international expansion planning is in process for the years to come.
Mohamed Soussan, Group General Manager, Ayla Hotels and Resorts, says, “It is not easy to achieve great success that we did in the initial operating years, but it is even harder to maintain it and raise the bar higher.”
For the second year in the row, Ayla Hotel in Al Ain has managed to achieve highest performance in the city. Amongst tough competition in Al Ain, Ayla Hotel succeeded all budgets and targeted plans.
When asked about the experience and aftermath at Arabian Travel Market 2015, Soussan shares, “Ayla Hotels and Resorts participated in the ATM as part of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority stand, in the separate Al Ain section. We had an opportunity to showcase not only our properties but Al Ain as a destination as well, which was very appealing to the visitors. This year was the first time for us to attend as a chain.”
“We have grown from one property to two, and the main focus was promoting our latest project, Ayla Bawadi Hotel. Opened in December 2014 we have managed to achieve impressing results in terms of occupancy and guests’ feedback. We managed to promote Al Ain as a destination with various activities for the entire family,” he further informs.
Looking at their developmental plans undertaken recently and the ones in the pipeline, Soussan says that Al Ain has been added as an additional destination for the UAE and a stopover for UAE-Oman tours. Ayla Bawadi is particularly interesting for Oman market due to its proximity to the Oman border and vicinity to one of the last camel markets in the UAE: Bawadi Camel Market.
Ayla Hotels and Resorts have come up with two new attractive packages that was presented and distributed during the ATM.
• Camel Market Packages, a uniquely Arabian experience in the city of Al-Ain, a journey starting from the traditional camel market through to the Majlis and Souk, ending with a lunch buffet at Ayla Bawadi Hotel.
• Shop and Stay Packages offer a unique opportunity to combine a quick getaway at Ayla Bawadi Hotel and enjoy retail therapy at the largest mall in Al-Ain.
We have grown from one property to two, and the main focus [at ATM] was promoting our latest project, Ayla Bawadi Hotel. Opened in December 2014 we have managed to achieve impressing results in terms of occupancy and guests’ feedback