Middle East business booming for InterContinental Hotels Group

The InterContinental Hotels Group has achieved further success in its Middle East performance, with net revenue up 36 per cent year to date and a 201 per cent rise in total revenue against the same period last year.

The company’s Middle East Global Sales Office reported that 54 per cent of the revenue generated was being driven into InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels and resorts within the region.

The highest volume of traffic came from Saudi Arabia at 60 per cent, followed by the UAE, Qatar and Lebanon.

“The Global Sales Office continues to witness fantastic results, with 2005 already securing a 109 per cent positive variance on the year's forecasts, which means solid and strategic factors are behind this staggering growth,” said Mara Campi, Director of Global Sales, Middle East.

Further success has been reported through it’s Middle East Central Reservations Office, with net revenue up 36 per cent year to date and calls made to the Reservations Office have increasing by 7% year to date versus last year.

Now in its fourth year of operation, the Middle East Central Reservations Office allows consumers and travel agents alike to make their bookings wherever they wish to go for business or pleasure, with over 3,500 hotels in over 100 countries and territories.

“The success of our Middle East Reservations Center goes from strength to strength. More and more people across the region are finding this the easiest and most cost effective way of making reservations at any one of our 3,500 around the world. After all, the call is free and the confirmation is instant,” said Denis Johnson,  Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Middle East & Africa, InterContinental Hotels Group.

“The beauty of our Holidex Plus reservations system is that the agents in our Reservations Center have direct access into the hotels room inventories. We are particularly pleased with the higher conversion ratio; it means very simply that our customers like what we are offering in terms of product and services as well as our  prices. The introduction of our new simple pricing last year is really paying off!” continued Johnson.

To cope with the growing demand and in order to better serve customers, InterContinental Hotels Group has extended the Middle East Reservations Center opening hours from 9am until 11pm Saturday to Thursday and 1pm - 10pm on Fridays.

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