Hotel retains 5-star category in SCTA’s new classification system

Dubai, UAE -- (SBWire) -- 03/28/2011 -- The Mövenpick Hotel & Residence Hajar Tower Makkah, in the first year of its operations, gained the most business from the 'group' category of travellers. With 'groups' occupying 80 percent of the hotel's room nights, Mövenpick Hotel & Residence Hajar Tower Makkah has bolstered its food and beverage offerings to best service this customer segment.

“This year, our cuisine will take center stage. We plan to hold a year-round new gastronomy concept across all our restaurants showcasing different international and local cuisines,” said Omar Boujlid, General Manager of Mövenpick Hotel & Residence Hajar Tower Makkah. “Last year saw higher demand for Arabic and Oriental cuisine, as well as Asian food, which reflects the makeup of nationalities we host as guests in our hotel. We are well-equipped to cater for an international range of cuisines for both 'group' or 'individual' guest requirements.”

As per the 2011 plan, the hotel, which was recently rated in the 5-star cate-gory by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), will line up a year-long exotic food festival themed ‘Flavours of the World’ and provide customized services to guests. This will be coupled with personalized service offerings and special activities designed to cater to families and kids.

Al Nasim restaurant offers an all-day buffet, targeting smaller groups of guests while Al Firdous 1 & 2 and Al Naeem restaurants cater to larger groups. Al Diwan – Tea lounge offers oven fresh pastries, breads, cakes with the seating capacity to cater 180 guests besides it is offering Mövenpick Ice Cream, Swiss Chocolates and Mövenpick Coffee and refreshments.

In addition, plans are afoot to offer several innovative Umrah packages. “We want to make it easier for worshippers to complete their Umrah rituals comfortably throughout the year. For this, we have made available particular amenities and services for 'Short Umrah Breaks,' as well as offerings for families that include a special children's menu designed for children’s entertainment,” said Boujlid.

In 2011, the hotel intends to give away two nights for free, with a minimum booking of seven nights. In addition, guests could get the added value of a complimentary upgrade to the next room category, based on availability.

With a multitude of activities lined up for this year, Boujlid concludes saying: “We, at Mövenpick Hotel & Residence Hajar Tower Makkah believe in maintaining high industry standards for our service. Our objective is to offer unmatched service and grow our business throughout the region.”

About Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, an upscale hotel management company with over 12,000 employees, is represented in 29 countries with over 90 hotels existing or under construction. Focussing on expansion in its core markets of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, the international hotel group specialises in business and conference hotels, as well as holiday resorts. Of Swiss origin, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts positions itself in the upscale segment and stands for quality, reliability and care with a personal touch. The hotel group is owned by Mövenpick Holding (66.7%) and the Kingdom Group (33.3%).