Premier Inn, a global hospitality service chain, is planning a raft of new amenities, attractions and offerings at its 11 hotels in Qatar and the UAE with eyes on the opportunity for the hospitality industry by Fifa World Cup.

“We kicked things off by bringing legendary England and Liverpool player, John Barnes to Dubai, where he experienced our famous British hospitality and wowed fans young and old during special activations at our F&B venues,” said Simon Leigh, Managing Director for Premier Inn Mena.

“With the World Cup coinciding with the peak travel season, we’re warming up for an influx of guests in Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where our hotels will be a hive of activity in terms of both overnight visitors and guests watching the games at our food and beverage outlets.  While the event itself is in Qatar, the UAE will be a key hub for fans – be they ticket holders travelling to Doha on shuttle flights or tourists and residents using the country as a base to soak up the atmosphere.”

“In Qatar, our teams are ready to tackle what will be one of our busiest ever periods.  At Premier Inn Doha Education City – located just minutes from the 40,000 capacity Education City Stadium – we’re putting the final touches to a new, expansive outdoor terrace, where guests can expect big screen action, great F&B deals and a superb atmosphere,” Leigh explained.

“Across town at the licenced Premier Inn Doha Airport Hotel, we’ve turned part of the restaurant into a football-themed fan zone, with a special World Cup menu, created by our recently appointed cluster head chef.

“In the UAE, our nine conveniently-located city and airport hotels are going all out to ensure guests have a World Cup to remember, and ready to welcome thousands of global visitors for overnight stays and football viewing at the ever-popular Mr Toad’s and Lounge One outlets,” Leigh noted.

“According to industry data, 600,000 hotel rooms are under construction or at planning stage in Middle East to meet growing tourist demand. In the UAE, the room inventory – currently around 200,000 – is set to grow by 48,000 by 2030, with more than 75 per cent of that expansion in Dubai.  Nearly 2,500 rooms were launched in Dubai in the first half of 2022, including 219 at our latest property, Premier Inn Barsha Heights,” he concluded.

The past year has been a great success for Premier Inn, which, despite Covid-19 challenges, continued to trade brilliantly, ended the financial year in profit and exceeded business targets – a reflection of our ever-popular brand and the UAE’s fast, effective response to the pandemic. – TradeArabia News Service