Page 23 - July 2020

A Vision of GRAND MILLENNIUM AL WAHDA
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Global Growth

“I would say the last
12 months have seen a
continuation of the last four
to five years which has seen
a decline in performance for
the hotel industry”

illennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C) is a this was that, at a very early stage in the development of BAB AL QASR HOTEL
London-based global hotel company, which Covid-19 globally, we announced as a company that we Abu Dhabi, UAE
owns, manages and operates over 145 were ready to extend and provide all our hotels to the
M hotels across some 80 locations worldwide. local authorities to help and support with accommodating
Its properties are in key gateway cities such as London, New medical teams where it was required,” explains Deldelian.
York, Los Angeles, Paris, Dubai, Doha, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, This gesture brought in a lot of occupants and at some sites,
Singapore and Hong Kong. M&C is the hotel arm of Singapore- even ensured the locations were running at 100 per cent
listed global real estate company City Developments Limited occupancy and to break-even. A few sites even made minor
(CDL). M&C’s global brand – Millennium Hotels and Resorts profits which helped ease the impact of Covid-19 compared
(MHR) has four distinct hotel collections— Leng’s Collection, to the rest of the companies operating in the market.
M Collection, Millennium Collection and Copthorne “We had a milder hit and this allowed us to not have to
Collection—throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East, New terminate a lot of staff so we were able to retain a considerable
Zealand and the US. Occupying the best locations around number of our staff and the team. We did have to incorporate
the world, MHR has the perfect address for business and some unpaid measures but the most important thing was that
leisure travellers. Listed on the London Stock Exchange in we were able to protect our people and our cash flows that
1996, M&C was delisted on 11 October 2019 following a has got us to today in a position where we can sustain the
successful privatisation exercise launched by CDL. impact for another few months,” says Deldelian.
Millennium Hotels & Resorts Middle East & Africa Millennium is unique because they are and they preach that
currently operates 45 hotels with almost 15,000 keys in they are an owner-centric company. Deldelian also feels they are
addition to 34 hotels in the pipeline across the region. From unique because this idea of being an owner-centric company
a single property in Abu Dhabi, Millennium Hotels & Resorts, makes its way down to the teams in its hotels, so as a company
Middle East & Africa has expanded into various neighbouring they are very focused on what is the owners return rather than
destinations and is now recognised as one of the fastest- what they do as a gross operating profit. They are also very
close to owners, they engage their owners and they listen to
growing regional hotel management companies in the Middle
MILLENNIUM PLAZA HOTEL DUBAI partnerships with reputable and respected owners. than Meets the Eye’ and it means that Millennium Hotels &
their owners and they don’t compromise on standards.
East & Africa. Along the way, the company has cultivated
The ethos that has driven the business forward is ‘More
“I would say the last 12 months have seen a continuation
of the last four to five years which has seen a decline in
Resorts is a hotel company that treats both the guest and
performance for the hotel industry,” explains Kevork Deldelian,
associates as a family within its global property collection.
Its hotels are never cookie-cutter, but are always fresh,
CEO of Middle East & Africa. “It was leading to a good 2020 and
Dubai, UAE
in fact we had an excellent start to the year and we exceeded
the performance of 2019, then Covid-19 happened.”
Asian hospitality with western comfort.
When talking about challenges that face the company and
Currently, despite the effects of the coronavirus the group surprising and tailored to its location and seamlessly blend
has not altered its company strategy and growth plans. There the business sector, Deldelian feels that business in its totality
Millennium Hotels & Resorts is a hotel company that treats the guest as family, with a are 34 hotels in the pipeline over the next two years and is a challenge, revenue is a challenge, and that the MEA region
to date, all the developers and partners are steadily going has been aggressively increasing supply over the past few years
unique range of global properties. Here, RLI spends some time with Kevork Deldelian, ahead with the projects and are aiming to finish on time. which has contributed declines in response and occupancies.
Millennium Hotels & Resorts in the MEA are one of the “So now, the supply is there, but the demand is obviously
CEO of Middle East & Africa (MEA) as he talks to us about its operations in this area companies who kept the majority of their locations open, not because of Covid-19 and we will see a significant drop.
of the world and what the future holds for the business and the hospitality sector. with only two in Makkah and two in Madinah in the KSA This is going to cause a serious challenge for the hospitality
being closed. “One of the reasons we could manage to do
industry for the foreseeable future,” Deldelian explains.
JULY 2020 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL 23