Page 79 - July 2022 ATM Special Issue 608

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Fabrice Collot

(General Manager Nofa Resort Riyadh, A Radisson Collection Hotel):
Covid was a good time for us and we are expanding
in the MENA region
he Nofa Resort Riyadh, A Radisson Collection Hotel is a place rich in culture, activities and adventure. Including
Ta safari park, secluded luxury villas with private gardens and swimming pools, guests can enjoy an exclusive escape
replete with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Fabrice Collot, General Manager at Nofa Resort, is an hotelier with high
end hospitality background. He is a strong, capable leader who ensures all employees are consistently motivated and
on task, by utilizing effective people management and development skills. Moreover, he is a flexible, creative, focused
and target-driven General Manager with progressive experience and entrepreneurial skills gained in hospitality
industry and Diplomatic sector. His problem resolution skills help him always define company direction, achieving
goals and optimizing business. Al Bayan Magazine met Collot on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market show and
conducted the following interview.
• What are your expectations from your participation in the Arab Travel leisure. People aren’t really into packages in Riyadh, it is more spur-of-the-
moment thing, they come and we have a concierge that can guide, offers and
Market?
book any type of activities so they can pick and choose and create their own
- We want to expand our market more towards the Mena region especially
package.
UAE, Kuwait and Qatar. Our clientele is 95 percent Saudis so we aim to
expand our reach and presence in the region. • Are you focusing only on the Saudi market?
• Did you do any renovation during the Covid-19 period? - We are not solely focusing on the Saudi market but currently, 95 percent of
- Actually Corona has been fantastic for us because we are one of the only our clients are Saudis and mostly from Riyadh. We are definitely a family resort
resort locations around Riyadh so we were quite busy during Covid-19. As and are offering so many activities for kids but we do also cater to adults with
Saudi Arabia was closed and people were still looking to enjoy time off in nice a beautiful 18 holes golf course. The resort is so romantic and private that we
hotels and having staycations we were extremely popular. Nevertheless we are attracting a large proportion of honeymooners and people celebrating
have used this time to add even more activities our already extensive resort anniversaries, especially during week days.
with the opening of our entertainment center which includes kid pool, cinema,
• How do you keep pace with smart technological development?
bowling, a large kids adventure park, a mini golf and also two Spas. We are
also renovating part of our villas inventory and massively extending their gar- - Our resort doesn’t have to cope with technology because as it is a very tra-
ditional African reserve lodge, having smart technology all over will feel out of
den and pools. We have added some bicycles to go around, pedal boats, pad-
place, nevertheless nothing to worry about we still have smart TV and Wifi
dles so the result is fully functional destination ready for any type of clientele.
available everywhere. We are covering the basics but it is not a city or busi-
• What is the best time to visit Nofa Resort? ness hotel, there is different needs.
- The best time is from October to April because the weather during this peri- • How much was the occupancy rate in your hotel and what are your
od is amazing and we can make use of all the greenery and gardens, have pic-
nics and live music. Summer is quite hot but nevertheless the resort includes future plans?
pools and lakes so we can still do a lot of activities whether outdoor but also - Covid was a good time for us because people weren’t able to leave the coun-
indoor. Thus, it is basically a year-round location. try so we had around 55 percent occupancy last year. Now, it is slightly
decreasing because Saudis can travel after Covid restrictions have been lifted
• Do you offer any packages? but we expect to close at around 50 percent this year.
- We don’t make packages as we have so many activities that we don’t want Our plans is to finish as soon as possible the villa renovation but also to open
to limit the choices but rather include everything that is available at guest our “glamping” resort around the golf course hopefully before year end.
Siddharth Mehra
(Cluster Director of Operations Bab Al Nojoum):
Our properties at Hudayriat Island and Al Mugheirah are doing 85 & 70 percent
occupancy for our Exclusive Glamping units respectively on the weekends
ab Al Nojoum is an endless kaleidoscope of experiences in unique destinations, destinations that are exciting,
Benticing, and welcoming. Bab Al Nojoum is a proud promoter of education, conscious cuisine and above all,
sustainability. At one of Bab Al Nojoum destination, they enforce a zero-waste, zero-carbon and plastic-free policy
wherever possible. This begins from the on-site transport used to the sourcing of local, ethically produced food,
sustainable water usage and conservation, preserving indigenous heritage and contributing positively to the
communities they are in. Al Bayan Magazine conducted at interview with Siddharth Mehra, Cluster Director of
Operations at Bab Al Nojoum on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market and following is the Q & A.
• What are your expectations for the travel sector in 2022? • How much was the occupancy rate in your hotel and what are your
- We are in this wonderful time post-pandemic, there seems to be a huge future plans?
excitement about travel and leisure holiday. We believe there will be an - Bab Al Nojoum is right in Abu Dhabi city and we have these very unique prod-
increase in the number of people who will be then traveling on holiday at ucts for glamping experiences and we have been doing for the whole year
leisure to destinations which are different from the standard old hotels, we almost 85 percent occupancy so there is a lot of excitement on the product we
believe it is now the new normal. have built at the Al Hudayriat Island in Abu Dhabi. The new property which we
opened in Al Mugheirah in December 2021 is doing up to 70 percent occu-
• The travel and tourism sectors in the world are expecting a return to
pancy. It is a classic silver airstream and intelligently designed cabin with a
pre-pandemic levels and to witness significant growth. What is your
plunge pool.
comment?
- We see that sort of reaction today at the ATM when all travel trade partners • What is the importance of your participation in the Arab Travel Market?
seem to give the similar feel about how things are going to recover post-pan- - Since we are a new brand and representing Modon which is a government
demic. People feel like going out more often and spend more time as a family subsidiary, then we are excited to spread the word and let people know about
together in different leisure destinations. the new brand and products as well as destinations we are developing.
79 AL BA Y AN ECONOMIC MAG - ISSUE 608 - JULY 2022