With 12 hotels and 38 per cent of its portfolio concentrated in Saudi Arabia, HMH – Hospitality Management Holdings is focusing on the Kingdom as a major growth area – a message drummed home at a regional sales meeting held at the Coral Hotel Dhahran in the Eastern Province.

Hosted by HMH Regional General Manager, Rushdi Al Ashkar and Regional Director Sales & Revenue Management, Sadiq Iqbal, the event brought together 30 sales and revenue team members as well as general managers of the Coral International Hotel Al Khobar, Coral Hotel Dhahran, Coral Beach Hotel Jubail and the EWA Executive Hotel Apartments.

“Although HMH has only been operating in Saudi Arabia for five years, starting with the launch of the Coral International Hotel Al Khobar, we have already established a firm reputation for quality and international standards, while competing with exceptional value rates,” said Mr Al Ashkar.

“With eight hotels under development, giving us an exceptional network across the Kingdom, the stage is set for HMH to become one of the leading players in the hospitality sector in the country poised to become one of the most dynamic in the region.”

Among the topics under review at the workshop were local issues with confirmations and cancellations, sales and booker incentives and development plans, as well as plans for road-shows and travel exhibitions.

Focusing on revenue management, Mr Iqbal reviewed sales consolidation initiatives and introduced new reporting guidelines aimed at monitoring the performance of sales, reservations and revenue team against their individual goals and yearly hotel budgets.

“With the help of these reports, general managers and sales heads will be able to track hotel sales performances against business and financial budgets and provide assistance to meet any shortfalls or deal with exceptional trading circumstances,” explained Mr Iqbal.

HMH will open its second Corp Executive Hotel in Saudi Arabia this year, in Al Khobar, as well as new Coral Hotels in Dhahran and Jeddah, and is also looking at potential for its ECOS ‘green’ brand.

“While facilities and services are key, we are reliant on our sales teams for business at our hotels, and were delighted with the response at the workshop, underlining the overall corporate commitment to success,” concluded Mr Al Ashkar.