A record number of entries for Best Restaurant at the 2015 Middle East Hotel Awards are of such a high standard that the number of shortlisted hotels has increased from three in 2014, to NINE this year.
Lynne Bellinger, Managing Director at Purple Hospitality and F&B judge said: “As competition grows in the F&B industry in the Middle East with individual restaurant concepts on the increase and becoming more on trend, hotels are upping their game and it is great to see so many more entries this year. Not all of these entries are new ones, some are excellent existing ones along with others that have gone through a revamp or rebranding. Purple Hospitality is currently placing restaurant concepts in the MENA region from around the globe, so I know what is about to arrive and there are some really exciting things on the horizon. With this, hotels will need to continue to up their game.”
There is a battle of steakhouses with CUT by Wolfgang Puck at The Address Downton Dubai and Atlantis the Palm’s Seafire. Also competing are the two signature restaurants at Armani Hotels – Ristorante and Amal; Gordon Ramsay at The St. Regis Doha; 18° at Hyatt Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi; Benjarong at the Dusit Thani, Dubai; Peppercrab at the Grand Hyatt, Dubai; and Vivaldi at the Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers.
Best Restaurant 2014 was won by Atlantis the Palm’s newly revamped Ossiano.
Gregoire Berger, Chef De Cuisine at Ossiano, Atlantis, The Palm said: “2015 offers huge competition in the culinary world, and ensures we must stay on our toes to stay ahead of the pack. To lead in increasingly saturated markets, at Ossiano we source the finest and freshest products from around the world. Fish is fresh caught and always supplied whole, tomatoes are sourced from Italy and the cheese from Meilleurs Ouvriers de France. In addition I try to use ingredients that no one else has in Dubai, such as the Timut pepper which I source from Nepal. I am proud of this diversity and it’s proven to be a winning strategy.”
Judges noted a record increase in entries as a whole this year, nearly double the number received in 2014. There were particular surges in interest from hotels in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, and a higher level of applicants from Saudi Arabia.
Shortlisted brands include Dusit Thani, Hyatt, Armani, Jumeirah, Banyan Tree, Premier Inn, Four Seasons, The Address plus many others across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Doha and Ras al-Khaimah.
InterContinental Dubai Festival City and Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea & Spa have been shortlisted for the coveted Best Hotel 2015 award which Burj al Arab was honoured in 2014.
The brand new Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach has been shortlisted across an impressive four categories including Best New Hotel, Best Resort, Best Bar and Best Hotel Suite. The longer-established Premier Inn Abu Dhabi International Airport has been shortlisted for two – Best Sustainable Hotel and Best Budget Hotel.
Over 400 hoteliers representing outstanding hotels from across the Middle East will discover the results at an awards ceremony on 4 June 2015 at the Waldorf Astoria, Dubai Palm Jumeriah.
The full shortlist for The Middle East Hotel Awards 2015 can be found online at:www.thehotelshow.com/MEHAShortlist
The Middle East Hotel Awards has evolved from the long-standing industry event The Hotel Show. At The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2015 on 3-5 May in Jeddah, the first ever Vision Conference will explore the transformation of restaurant businesses in Saudi Arabia through a talk by Salem bin Dasmal, Founder at Silver Spoon Investments. Find out more: www.thehotelshowsaudiarabia.com
