Targeted seasonal offering to capitalise on regional preferences as 68% of GCC leisure travellers opt for family-centric vacations; launch of new Millennium Executive Apartments concept timely as industry experts predict rise in intra-regional travel to visit family members 

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Middle East and Africa (MEA) has launched its 2014 winter campaign with a special added value weekend package valid at its 17 hotels across the region.

The new season offer follows on from the success of the company’s regional summer packages, which supported overall positive room night performance over the extended 2014 summer period, including Ramadan.

The ‘Have a Nice Weekend’ package campaign will be available for guests looking to stay in Millennium Hotels in the UAE, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq from 16th October to 30th December 2014.
In addition to 10% discount on the Best Available Room Rate and complimentary buffet breakfast for two, guests will be able to enjoy 20% discount on food and beverage, 20% discount on spa treatments, free wifi, early check-in and late checkout and double M&C Loyalty Club points.

“Travel is an integral facet of family life across the GCC and hotels need to recognise the benefits in offering a family-friendly product, not only in the peak summer travel period, but throughout the year. And this is more than simply providing connecting rooms, but investing in service and facilities to complement the GCC family lifestyle as a home-away-from-home offering,” said Ali Hamad Lakhraim Alzaabi, President & CEO, Millennium and Copthorne Middle East.

According to a 2014 Frost & Sullivan and Insights Middle East white paper for Amadeus, 68% of leisure travellers in the GCC region prefer to travel with family and friends, with 13% of all bookings made by a family member or friend and a preference for packages that offer a range of entertainment activities catering to all members of the family.

Entitled ‘Shaping The Future of Travel in the Gulf Cooperation Council’, the paper also examines the travel behaviour and patterns of GCC families, with security and fewer language barriers highlighted as key reasons for family group travel.

“At Millennium & Copthorne MEA we believe that a family-focused strategy is crucial to securing long term loyalty and ensuring that families choose to stay at one of our hotels when travelling through the region, with the knowledge that we offer a product that perfectly matches their requirements,” noted Alzaabi.
“With our winter offer we know that the added value benefits of 20% dining discount is something that families look for, especially when travelling in large groups, plus with more and more families travelling with multiple mobile devices, complimentary wifi is becoming an expectation rather than a privilege,” he added.

The white paper reports that 35% of survey respondents said visiting family was the main reason for travel in the last 12 months, and Frost & Sullivan expects this figure to grow further given rising international exposure and a global network of family and close friends leading to more family travel opportunities.
It also highlighted that the same effect is prevalent in intra-regional travel, with GCC families not only opting for long weekends and staycations in their home country, but taking short-haul trips lasting on average, a little over two weeks.

“Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has previously stated his hopes that the UAE will become the world’s number one family destination, and other GCC nations are also targeting the growth in family travel as a major business segment. To this end, Millennium has also launched a dedicated family-friendly brand with the upcoming debut of the Millennium Executive Apartments concept,” said Alzaabi.

The first Millennium Executive Apartments will open in Muscat in early 2015, and the brand is targeting GCC nationals for whom competitively priced apartment-style living under a major hospitality brand umbrella is the ideal solution to family travel plans.