Sunmei Hotels Group, a Chinese hospitality company, has announced its expansion into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) market. This comes after the launch of three new brands, SHANKEE, PENRO, and LANOU, under the newly established Sunmei Group International (SGI). The development was announced during the China Hotel Overseas Investment Conference held on November 26.
The group’s foray into the UAE market is marked by the impending opening of the SHANKEE Hotel in Dubai Longcheng, an initiative led by Ma Yingyao, Chairman and CEO of Sunmei Hotels Group. Yingyao has expressed optimism about the potential of digital hotels in the UAE.
Zhang Gang, SGI’s CEO, highlighted Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh as strategic cities for SGI’s growth due to their pivotal roles in the Middle East’s economic and tourism sectors. The UAE’s hotel occupancy rate stands at 72%, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi recording rates of 78% and 75% respectively. This growth is attributed to the UAE government’s substantial investment in tourism and finance.
SGI aims to further this growth by focusing on smart marketing, intelligent site selection and development, modular renovation, and intelligent operations. It plans to leverage big data and AI for site selection, reduce construction time with modular renovation, and enhance service efficiency through intelligent operations. It aims to provide customers seamless check-in, smart spaces, and intelligent experiences using room automation and smart robots.
Yingyao has outlined ambitious plans for the next decade, which include opening 100 hotels generating double the revenue of the Chinese market and managing 1,000 high-quality hotels in 30 different countries. The goal is to establish a strong international presence for Chinese hospitality brands.
The UAE’s robust tourism demand, stable room rates, and high occupancy rates have attracted global investors. SGI is set to provide UAE consumers with innovative service concepts and smart operational models, aiming to enhance the overall service level of the UAE hotel industry and further boost tourism growth.