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Group of hotel general managers recently gathered for a business lunch at Casa Samak, Coral Beach Resort Sharjah's signature seafood restaurant. Playing the gracious host was Jean-Pierre Simon, Regional General Manager, Northern Emirates, Coral Hotels & Resorts. Besides the delicious dishes, on the menu were many hot topics and no easy answers. How can hotels stimulate demand in the face of increasing supply of deluxe and luxury hotels in Ajman and Sharjah? Would the two emirates be able to sustain their attraction in key source markets? How can hotels grow their share of those traditionally strong feeder markets of Russia and CIS, Germany, UK, etc? Is there a need to tap emerging markets such as China, India, Northern Europe? Does the GCC hold greater potential for Ajman and Sharjah? How can hotels work more closely together and with Ajman Tourism Development Department and Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority to stimulate demand? Engrossed in discussion were Jean-Pierre Simon, Regional General Manager, Northern Emirates, Coral Hotels & Resorts; Fergal Purcell, General Manager, The Ajman Palace Hotel; Michele Frignani, Ajman Saray, Starwood's Luxury Collection Resort; Iftikhar Hamdani, Cluster General Manager, Ramada Hotel & Suites Ajman; Edwin Wijkhuys, Sheraton Sharjah; and Henny Schaeffer, Fairmont Hotel Ajman. As enticing as the conversation was the superb food at Casa Samak and the exceptional hospitality of Jean-Pierre. Despite the various concerns on the table, all general managers seemed undeterred by competition and equally confident of positioning their respective hotels as sought-after properties. They believed plans for the international airport in Ajman combined with new properties, infrastructure and attractions such as the golf course in Al Zohra will boost tourism.
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