Page 67 - July 2022 ATM Special Issue 608

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Victor Betro

(General Manager Kempinski Hotel Aqaba Red Sea):

Positive signs of recovery and the

last-minute vacation is the trend nowadays

ombining the warmth of Jordanian hospitality with the highest standards of a luxury European
Cresort, Kempinski Hotel Aqaba Red Sea is a lifestyle destination situated on the white sandy
beach of Aqaba. With an array of enticing dining options, spacious rooms and suites with
guaranteed Red Sea views, top-tier pampering facilities and exciting water adventures, this 5-star
resort is a heaven for explorers and leisure seekers on the shore of the Red Sea. The fascinating hotel
architecture, which blossoms with wondrous façade lighting at night, provides Red Sea views from
every corner, and its strategic location from Jordan’s top attractions such as Wadi Rum, Petra and
the Dead Sea, promises you a memorable adventure like no other. Victor Betro, General Manager
of Kempinski Hotel Aqaba Red Sea, has proven throughout the years to be a young energetic
hotelier who takes ownership of his designated responsibilities and builds success through
developing a brand-new Kempinski experience wherever he is assigned. With his diverse experience
and being a seasoned brand ambassador of Kempinski, Victor continues positioning Kempinski
Hotel Aqaba Red Sea as the leading luxury hotel on the shores of the Red Sea, in Jordan.
Al Bayan Magazine met Betro and the following is the interview conducted.

• How do you evaluate the tourism sector in Aqaba post-pandemic? Kempinski website or via Online Travel Agents. Moreover and since the last-
- This global pandemic drastically affected all sectors worldwide, especially the minute holidays is the trend now so we feel that travelers no longer prefer to go
travel and tourism industry and now after two consecutive years, we finally through a third party as much as before.
started witnessing its recovery. As of 2022, there has been strong and positive
signs of recovery, and business patterns are not only limited to the domestic • What makes Kempinski Hotel Aqaba Red Sea special and unique?
market, but also from our key international feeder markets. During the past two - As Kempinski, we are the oldest luxury hospitality brand in Europe established
years, we mainly depended on the local market targeting different segments in 1897, so this year, we are celebrating our 125 anniversary of crafting luxury
such as corporate business, weekend leisure business, and family staycations. moments to our diverse guests worldwide. With respect to our hotel, it has the
But nowadays and with the return of the international flights, the numbers of primmest location, its 200 rooms are all full sea view, we have a unique beach
international tourists have been increasing significantly compared to the previ- with golden sand, 8 food & beverage outlets, Spa and various other facilities,
ous years. We have to also highlight the fact that the great efforts of the so throughout the years, we have built loyal guests who value our luxury brand
Ministry of Tourism and ASEZA supported us in motivating this domestic and at the same time, they appreciate the unparalleled European services that
tourism. All the different government preventive measure during the pandemic are combined with the authentic Jordanian hospitality that we provide by the
that took place in Jordan were for the benefit and safety of the citizens and also beautiful shores of the Red Sea. We also have our discovery program which
giving them a margin of being able to move around. We managed to sustain to Kempinski upgraded recently. Guests now don’t only earn points but also dol-
a certain level of occupancy throughout the two years. However, the support
lars to redeem during their stay. We always strive to maintain the highest level
will need to be expanded to reach out to the international markets to stimulate of quality in the market, we call all our guests three days prior to arrival to
them to visit Jordan like in the previous years. Moreover, there are very posi- understand the purpose of the visit and accordingly, we serve a la carte and
tive indicators for the rest of the year.
keep this factor of surprise. We don’t deal with one guest in the same way as
the other. This helps us to retain our position within the market.
• In what ways the Tourism Authority is supporting the hospitality sector?
- During the pandemic, they launched several campaign to stimulate the local
• Did you make any renovations recently?
market/domestic tourism supporting a lot of activations such as “Urdonna - Throughout the last two years, we seized the opportunity during the low
Jannah” campaign in which they promoted various local destinations and demand period and upgraded our facilities, in the room experience, food & bev-
offered the required logestics at reasonable costs to enable local tourists move
erage, revamped all the concepts and we added one impressive outlet on the
around within the country smoothly. In regards to the international markets, the
tourism board has been quite proactive in contracting various international air- seventh floor; The 700 roof top lounge overlooking 3 countries with a stunning
panoramic view of the Red Sea – which received a lot of positive feedback from
lines to feed the airport capacity and nowadays, considering that the travel and
tourism industry has started to recover, the tourism board has started its recov- our in-house guests and outside visitors. Moreover, we opened a new
Lebanese restaurant called “Rehan Lebanese Cuisine” featuring a modernly
ery plan implementation by supporting various international airlines from our
key feeder markets that will most certainly connect Jordan globally. elevated Lebanese dining experience by the shores of the Red Sea. This will
surely enhance our guest experience in Aqaba.
• Do you expect any new destinations from and to Aqaba?
• Many new destinations are opening on the Red Sea. Will this create a
- At the moment, we need to focus on the existing feeder markets and consid-
er the fact that booking windows have decreased, so we need to show more big competition between you and all the other hotels?
flexibility and adapt ourselves to the market conditions in order to stay com- - Competition is healthy, when you are alone in the market then your bench-
petitive always. mark will be stiff. In the last few years, many hotels opened in the area and this
helped us to change our approach and the way we do things. Consequently, it
• Do you think the mentality of travelers have changed post-pandemic? opens your eyes and mind to relook at things and to raise your benchmark to
- It is more last-minute now, our day-to-day pick up in the hotel sector within stand against the competition. Everyone is doing well and a fantastic job and if
Aqaba and the rest of Jordan as well as globally is a last-minute vacation, trav- it wasn’t for all of us together, the destination would not have reached to this
ellers don’t want to take the risk of booking and then canceling. The whole level of service and excitement.
behavior of the tourists has changed and we started adapting to it with our
offers and booking conditions. • What are your expectations for 2022?
- We started the year positively with a very strong business indicator, and we
• What is your comment about the digital transformation in the hospitali- are delighted to see this much-anticipated recovery continue till the end of the
ty sector? year. In addition to the local market, we are expecting a lot of Europeans and
- Tourists used to rely mainly on travel agents as technology was not part of Americans to be visiting the destination and with the airlines that have been
their daily life. Nowadays, people feel more comfortable booking on our signed landing in Aqaba, this will definitely create new segments.
67 AL BA Y AN ECONOMIC MAG - ISSUE 608 - JULY 2022