The company sent a high-level delegation to ATM, which took place in Dubai from April 28 to May 01 and was attended by over 39,000 travel professionals, government ministers and media.

The group’s presence was led by Gavin M. Faull, president, Matthew Faull, senior vice president of e-commerce, distribution & IT, and Laurent A. Voivenel, senior vice president, operations & development for the Middle East, Africa & India.

From a prominent booth on the main show floor, Swiss-Belhotel International’s executives revealed the company’s latest global expansion strategy, including the goal of reaching 250 hotels and 50,000 rooms worldwide, either in operation or under development by 2022. The group currently holds a portfolio of 145 hotels and projects spread across 24 countries.

This rapid expansion has already started; this year will be a significant year for the company, with 28 new hotels scheduled to open. This growth will cover a wide range of global destinations, including the Middle East, China, Southeast Asia, Europe and Oceania.

Seven of this year’s openings will be located in the Middle East, including Swiss-Belboutique Bneid Al Gar, Kuwait and Swiss-Belinn Doha (both opening in Q2 this year), Swiss-Belsuites Admiral Juffair Bahrain and Swiss-Belinn Airport Muscat (both Q3 this year), and Swiss-Belhotel Al Aziziyah Makkah, Grand Swiss-Belresort Seef, Bahrain and Swiss-Belresidences Al Sharq, Kuwait (all Q4 this year).

Overall, Swiss-Belhotel International is targeting 25 properties in the Middle East by 2025.