We offer a palace for our youngest, most important guests: Mohammed Iqbal Ahmed

Creativity or strategy? Children or parents? Every hotel has its way of facing competition. Mohammed Iqbal Ahmed, General Manager at Khalidia Hotels, a promising small brand, shared with us their unique approach.

Mohammed Iqbal Ahmed, General Manager at Khalidia Palace Hotel.

Creativity or strategy? Children or parents? Every hotel has its way of facing competition. Mohammed Iqbal Ahmed, General Manager at Khalidia Hotels, a promising small brand, shared with us their unique approach.

Khalidia Hotels is a small brand which was established only eight years ago and is now managed by Gloria Hotels & Resorts.

With clear objectives and a business philosophy centred on family stays, Khalidia Hotels plans to expand in 2020.

At TOPHOTELWORLDTOUR Dubai, Mohammed Iqbal Ahmed, General Manager at Khalidia Palace Hotel, shared more details about this special and quickly growing brand.

CREATIVITY OVER STRATEGY

Ahmed: When it comes to competition it is not easy to create suitable strategies. I personally believe success depends more on creative thinking than on being purely strategic.

In order to stay ahead of the competition, we must fulfil the highest expectations. That is our main brand promise and how we try to attract our guests.

Our main objective is to have guests who want to come back and stay at our hotel more than once. In order to do that, we must cater to different areas of interest. We have to keep our guests busy and entertained. It is not just about accommodation, food and beverage. It is so much more.

FUTURE KPH PROJECTS

Ahmed: Currently we are working on the Khalidia Dubai Palace hotel, a five-star property with 311 rooms. It is expected to open by mid-2020.

We are also bidding for future projects in many other countries. However, these projects cannot be disclosed right now since we are still at a very early stage of bidding.

As for our current pipeline, we have eight hotels in locations including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, most of them set to open in 2020. Our brand is family orientated which is why we believe it is very important to cater to families’ needs.

THE ROYAL GUESTS: CHILDREN

Ahmed: As for trends, we think differentiation is key which is why Khalidia Hotels always tries to stand out from the normal market. We have decided to be a family-oriented brand and have a special focus on children. Our philosophy is to treat children like kings and queens. In other words, we are hotels where parents are brought by their children.

For example, our future project in Dubai will have more than the regular facilities. There will be a kids’ club where children are taken care of while parents are busy doing other activities. That way, adults with kids can also have time for themselves and enjoy while kids are entertained in a different way.

THOUGHTS ON TOPHOTELWORLDTOUR

Ahmed: The event was really exciting and was worth being part of. It was very helpful, too. I will be more than happy to continue participating in the future.

Mohammed Iqbal Ahmed was a delegate at TOPHOTELWORLDTOUR Dubai 2019. To attend, address or sponsor our boutique hospitality networking events around the world, contact TOPHOTELPROJECTS Head of Global Events & Conferences Kayley van der Velde.

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