During the ATM I met with Mr. Eric Brun, Senior Vice President – Brand and Commercial Strategy and Mr. Christian Pertl, Regional Vice President Sales Operations – Middle East & Africa together with other key members of the Hyatt team.

The Hyatt team spoke about the debut of the Hyatt Centric brand to the GCC region, with the first Hyatt Centric hotel slated to open later this year on The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, U.A.E.. This opening will be followed by Hyatt Centric West Bay Doha in Qatar in 2018.

Eric Brun mentioned that bringing Hyatt Centric to the G.C.C. is a key milestone for the brand’s global expansion plans as since its launch in 2015, Hyatt Centric has proven to be one of the fastest-growing lifestyle brands.

At Hyatt Centric hotels all the must-haves that guests expect from a full-service hotel are there, but in the most intuitive and simple way (e.g., express dispatch service allowing guests to enjoy gourmet food in their room) and enjoy in-room technology designed to connect seamlessly with their devices and media.

Hyatt Centric hotels intends to collaborate with regional food and beverage partners to provide guests and locals with cuisine crafted by in-demand chefs. Additionally, the brand will introduce high-quality amenities such as salon-quality hair dryers, soft hooded bathrobes, and renowned bath products.

Globally, Hyatt expects to nearly double its Hyatt Centric portfolio by the end of 2019.  Following the recent U.S. growth spurt of the brand with the opening of Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach and the transitions of Hyatt Centric Arlington and Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile, at least 13 more hotels are expected to join the brand portfolio by the end of 2019.

Hyatt’s expansion plans announced at ATM revealed the signing of management agreements by a Hyatt affiliate for 14 Hyatt-branded hotels across the Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Place, and Hyatt House brands. There are currently 14 Hyatt-branded hotels open in the Middle East and GCC, and the expected openings of these 14 Hyatt-branded hotels would double Hyatt’s brand presence in the region.

According to Peter Norman, senior vice president, acquisitions and development – Europe, Africa, and Middle East (EAME) and Southwest Asia (SWA) for Hyatt, the growth opportunity in this region is a testament to the global appeal of Hyatt’s entire brand portfolio as it continues to expand worldwide.