The Abu Dhabi-based hospitality company, Rotana, is looking to increase its presence in familiar regions as well as expand into new countries as part of its expansion goal to reach 100 properties by 2020, Rotana President and CEO Omer Kaddouri told 4Hoteliers.

“Our expansion plan is mainly focused on the Gulf countries and the Middle East where we are based,” Kaddouri said at Berlin’s ITB Convention.

“We are also moving into Africa. We are opening a five star hotel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania this year, it will be our second after Kinshasa, in Congo.”

Leveraging more than a decade of experience of operating in the holy city of Mecca, Rotana opened its first Iranian hotel in the shrine city of Mashhad under the Rayhaan brand this year.

In Rotana’s Gulf markets, political changes are encouraging larger visitor numbers as the UAE and Saudi Arabia have begun to implement policies that are increasing foreign interest in the countries.

Read the full story at the 4Hoteliers.com ITB News Site here.