Sharjah to welcome Vida hotel in Al Qasba

Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal and Olivier Harnisch sign an agreement to open the Vida Al Qasba Sharjah.

Sharjah will soon be home to the 100-room Vida Al Qasba, as the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) signed a management agreement with Emaar Hospitality Group to operate the lifestyle boutique hotel.

The announcement was made at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2018), with the management agreement being signed by Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq, and Olivier Harnisch, CEO of Emaar Hospitality Group.

Vida Al Qasba Sharjah is expected to add another dimension to Shurooq's flourishing tourism portfolio. The new boutique hotel will sit alongside Al Qasba's canal and is designed to meet the increasing demand for hotel rooms in Sharjah as well as the requirements of millennial travellers.

Al Sarkal said Sharjah's tourism sector has recorded consistent growth, with the number of hotel guests set to increase from 2.07 million in 2017 to over 3.16 million in the next 2 years.

"To meet the demand, it is important to strengthen the supply of quality hotels that meet the lifestyle aspirations of visitors. We chose Emaar Hospitality Group's Vida Hotels and Resorts to operate our boutique hotel in Al Qasba," he said.

According to estimates, demand for hotel rooms in Sharjah has already outpaced supply and the city will need to add more than 2,850 rooms by 2020 to meet the growth in visitor arrivals. While the number of hotels is projected to increase at a CAGR of 3 per cent from 2010-2020, the number of hotel rooms will increase 5 per cent year on year, against an average 15 per cent growth in hotel guest numbers.

This has accelerated the need for quality and upscale hotels, especially as four and five-star hotels account for over 70 per cent of the total hospitality revenue in the emirate. Vida Al Qasba Sharjah will serve both leisure and business visitors.

Harnisch said Vida Hotels and Resorts has brought a fresh identity to the hospitality sector of the region with "our focus on 2 defining features" that meet the aspirations of the new generation of travellers - design-led spaces and connectivity. "Sharjah has tremendous potential of growth for its hospitality and tourism sectors. Vida Al Qasba Sharjah addresses a distinctive white space in the market through its positioning as a lively and vibrant hub where inspiring minds meet and connect," he added.

- rohma@khaleejtimes.com