Ascott Limited reveals 2022 target of 1,000 units in Middle East, Africa and Turkey by year end
- Ascott launched its first property in Kenya with Somerset Westview Nairobi and established its presence in Central Asia with Somerset City Center Atyrau in Kazakhstan
- The Ascott Limited won ‘Best Serviced Apartment Brand in the Middle East’ for 7th year at the recently held 2022 Business Traveler Middle East Awards
United Arab Emirates:– The Ascott Limited (Ascott), the wholly owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Investment, continues its tenacious expansion plans in the Middle East and Africa, building on its recent wave of growth, opening five new properties in five different countries in the space of a month. Currently, with a total of 4,500 units across 33 properties operating and pre-opening in the Middle East, Africa, Turkey and Central Asia, Ascott is on track to meet its regional goal of adding 5,500 additional units in the MEAT region, to reach a total of 10,000 units by 2025.
Building on its global footprint, the world’s leading serviced apartment brand has launched its recent properties under its iconic Citadines and Somerset brands. Redefining the concept of the aparthotel, the Citadines brand offers a fresh, functional and fulfilling lifestyle with a hotel stay that offers the flexibility and convenience of a serviced residence with a blend of hotel experiences. local influence. Oman welcomed its first Citadines property with the launch of the stylish Townspeople Al Ghubrah Muscat in the country’s capital.
At the same time, Ascott’s renowned Somerset brand offers travelers and expats global living spaces that allow them to integrate both their professional and personal lives, within a thriving community. Recent openings include the elegant 16-story property, Somerset Downtown Al Khobar, marking the Group’s 7th operational property in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; the most anticipated reopening of Somerset West BayDoha in Qatar, which offers solo, business and leisure travelers their own private spaces; Downtown Somerset Atyrau, Ascott’s first operational property in Kazakhstan, which now welcomes travelers to explore a world of exclusivity in one of the country’s major economic hubs; and the 162 units Somerset Westview Nairobi (Kenya), which marked the brand’s foray into East Africa, offering potential partners and guests the opportunity to see and experience Ascott’s world-class services in the region.
Leading accommodation owner-operators will continue their ambitious growth in the region with three more property openings set to open next. These include the brand’s first luxury villa project – Ascott Villas Riyadh and Ascott’s first premium address in Abha – Abha city girls, both located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; in addition to Somerset Al Mansoura Doha (franchise) in Qatar.
Mr. Vincent Miccolis, Ascott’s Managing Director for the Middle East, Africa, Turkey and India, commented on Ascott’s various expansion plans, saying, “The Middle East market is has always remained a key objective for Ascott and as we grow further in this region as well as in Africa, we are delighted to share our regional achievements at ATM 2022. We remain committed to continued growth, driven by our belief in the enormous potential of this region – especially on the African continent for a quality hotel offer in the segment of long stays. Additionally, we will seek to expand our presence in Turkey and Kazakhstan to better serve our loyal customers in key cities where business travel is expanding post Covid-19.
The Ascott Limited has seen an increase in business travel to the African market and will focus its resources to expand further in Africa to meet customer demand for long term travel and relocation. Ascott will seek to further strengthen its portfolio in African countries that have demonstrated immense growth potential, including Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania in East Africa, Morocco in North Africa; and Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa.
The brand will also expand its presence in Turkey and Kazakhstan beyond Istanbul and Atyrau to better serve the diverse customer base in key cities where business travel is growing, such as Izmir and Antalya in Turkey and Almaty in Kazakhstan. .
Ascott’s exceptional new properties add to the owner-operator’s existing dynamic portfolio of accommodation in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey. These include Ascott Park Place Dubai, Culture Village Dubai, Citadines Metro Center Dubai (Franchise) in the United Arab Emirates; Somerset Al-Fateh in Bahrain; Somerset Maslak Istanbul in Turkey; and Ascott Rafal Olaya Riyadh, Ascott Corniche Al Khobar, Ascott Tahlia Jeddah, Ascott Sari Jeddah, City girls Al Salamah Jeddah and Residence Spectrums Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
As part of its commitment to ensuring the safety and trust of its customers, Ascott continues to practice the acclaimed “Ascott Cares” program at all of its properties worldwide, also offering free telehealth, telecounseling and travel advice to its customers.
Additionally, thanks to the group’s commitment, The Ascott Limited has once again earned the coveted honor of ‘Best Serviced Apartment Brand in the Middle East’ at the Business Traveler Middle East Awards 2022 for the 7th year, marking a new stage of success. .
On the sustainability front, Ascott practices green measures to contribute to global standards for reducing carbon footprint. The brand is currently working towards a 15% reduction in energy and water consumption intensity by 2030. In the region, Ascott properties Ascott Park Place Dubai and Citadines Metro Center Dubai (Franchise), have received Green Key certification for their sustainability efforts. In addition, Ascott plans to implement the Environmental Health and Safety Management System for selected properties in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar, and is the first of its kind in the GCC.
the Ascott loyalty program, Ascott Star Awards, was recently upgraded in preparation for its milestone third anniversary, marking a 40% increase in annual memberships and contributing approximately 90% of Ascott’s direct online bookings. Through the new Multi-Channel program, members can now earn points through booking emails, phone calls, travel agents, walk-in tours and more at ASR’s 400 participating properties in 30 countries . Member benefits include point redemption, free upgrades, birthday vouchers, free welcome refreshments and more.
At the same time, Ascott is pursuing its aspiration to digitalization by departing sharply from the traditional travel and stay experience, primarily through its loyalty app – Discover ASR, which enables cashless check-in and check-out, service orders in room easy, contactless payments, booking before arrival. and stay requests, and the accumulation of inspiring GoGreen Points – earned by guests when they practice sustainable green initiatives within the property, and more.
For more information, please visit www.discoverasr.com.
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About Ascott Limited
The Ascott Limited (Ascott) is a Singaporean company that has become one of the leading international accommodation owner-operators. Ascott’s portfolio spans over 200 cities in more than 30 countries in Asia Pacific, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the United States.
Ascott has over 76,000 units in operation and approximately 57,000 units under development, for a total of over 133,000 units at over 800 properties.
The Company’s serviced apartment, co-living and hotel brands include Ascott The Residence, The Crest Collection, Somerset, Quest, Citadines, lyf, Preference, Vertu, Harris, Citadines Connect, Fox, Yello, Fox Lite and POP!.
Ascott’s loyalty program, Ascott Star Rewards, offers exclusive benefits to its members when they book directly with Ascott for their stays at its participating properties.
Ascott, a wholly owned subsidiary of CapitaLand Investment Limited, launched the first world-class serviced apartment in Asia Pacific with the opening of The Ascott Singapore in 1984. Today, the company has over 30 years of industry experience and award-winning brands that enjoy global recognition.
For more information, please visit www.discoverasr.com.
About CapitaLand Investment Limited
Based and listed in Singapore, CapitaLand Investment Limited (CLI) is a leading global real estate investment manager (REIM) with a strong presence in Asia. As of September 30, 2021, CLI had approximately S$120.8 billion of property assets under management and approximately S$84.3 billion of property funds under management (FUM) held through six listed real estate investment trusts and business trusts, and 30 private funds across Asia-Pacific, Europe and the United States. Its diversified real estate asset classes cover integrated developments, retail, offices, hospitality and new economy sectors such as business parks, industry, logistics and data centers.
CLI aims to scale its FUM and fee-based revenue with its full suite of investment management and operations capabilities. As the publicly traded investment management business arm of CapitaLand Group, CLI has access to the development capabilities and pipeline investment opportunities of CapitaLand’s development arm. Being part of the well-established CapitaLand ecosystem sets CLI apart from other REIMs.
As part of the CapitaLand group, CLI places sustainability at the heart of what it does. As a responsible real estate company, CLI contributes to the environmental and social well-being of the communities where it operates, as it delivers long-term economic value to its stakeholders.
Visit http://www.capitalandinvest.com/ for more information.
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Justin Froes
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