On CNN’s latest episode of Marketplace Middle East, host Eleni Giokos meets Mark Willis, CEO Fairmont Hotels and Resorts as the company decided to move its global headquarters from Paris to Dubai.
Speaking about the move Willis says, “If you look at where the brand sits and what, where we want to take the brand, Dubai is a perfect location. As we all know it’s a great hub, great infrastructure. We looked at other locations around the world. This is a super place to recruit. All the various infrastructure and support systems are here. And it just seemed like the right choice.”
On the company’s portfolio in the region, Willis tells CNN that there’s “12 operational Fairmonts just in the Middle East alone, out of a portfolio of 90 globally, we’ve got a strong portfolio here. But on top of that, what’s super interesting is that we have a great pipeline, nine hotels coming in some key destinations, Jeddah, the giga projects in Saudi Arabia, we have great projects coming in Red Sea, a wonderful Fairmont Sheikh Zayed Road in Skyline. From a pipeline and growth perspective, it just looks amazing here.”
Fairmont is part of the Accor group, a chain of over 5100 hotels including Raffles, Sofitel, Rixos and Movenpick. Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holdings and Qatar’s Investment Authority hold stakes in Accor hotels of 5.8% and 10.5% respectively, according to Accor. On Fairmont’s plans in Saudi Arabia, Willis says, “Saudi Arabia will become one of the top destinations, not only for business but also for leisure globally. They have so many things to offer. They’re also putting in an amazing infrastructure in the key destinations. On top of that, of course, they have religious tourism going into the keen religious cities of Medina and Mecca. The future looks wonderful.”
With the hottest recorded June in history and the recent heatwaves in Europe, Giokos asks about the possible impact on the tourism industry to which Willis replies, “As an industry, we have talked a lot about the environment. But we have talked a lot and not done much, I have to say. And again, it pains me to say so, but that is a reality. I really have to say the industry over the last five years, has tried to step forward in a very positive manner with regard to its impact on the environment.”
The Accor Group says its strategy is to reduce emissions by 46% in 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050. Willis comments: “Accor is really walking the talk. It’s on everybody’s agenda. When you look at topics like the increase in temperature in different locations, which again is unbelievable… As an industry we really need to focus on this topic. I think it’s great to see what Accor is doing, obviously Fairmont within that infrastructure is doing in order to try and combat that situation.”
