Prasenjit Chakraborty | Mumbai 
“India is one of the top 10 source markets worldwide for us,” stated Mahmoud Abdelnaby, Director of Global Sales, APAC, Middle East & Africa, Melia Hotels International, while speaking on the sidelines of an event in Mumbai recently.
He also said that post-Covid, the performance of Melia Hotels across the globe is quite encouraging. “There are a few destinations like Japan where we couldn’t open our operations in the beginning of 2023. In such markets, we haven’t fully recovered yet. But in other markets like Spain and Europe, we are doing very well,” said Abdelnaby.
Melia Hotels have introduced four brands in the last three years. “We have worked hard and introduced four different brands in the market. Some of our properties have been converted from premium to luxury hotels,” said Abdelnaby.
In their endeavour to stay ahead in the market, they are keenly studying the market as well as their competitors and taking steps accordingly. “By doing so, we are creating a benchmark for ourselves not only in the European market, but also worldwide. We are also focusing a lot on sustainability; our hotel has been recognised as the best in Europe and third in the world,” he said.
Abdelnaby, categorically stated that they have no plan to open a hotel in India as of now. When asked to comment on the number of Indians staying at their properties in Vietnam, he said, “Vietnam is one of the favourite destinations for Indians. In Vietnam, we have 21 properties but are facing an obstacle. Not all cities of Vietnam are well exposed to the Indian market due to a lack of air access. But we have observed Indians staying there for longer time, which is 10-15 nights,” he pointed out.
Talking about the target segments from India, Abdelnaby said that they have hotels for all categories; hence, they target all segments of travellers from India.
