Coral International Hotels, Resorts & Spas, an Oriental Chameleon

Created just five years ago by one of the founders of Le Méridien, Coral International Hotels now has nearly a dozen hotels operating in the Emirates and a portfolio of 40 projects being developed around its four brands: Coral, Executive Corp, Ecos and EWA Apartments. Remaining close to local culture, ready to fill all the niches in hotel accommodations, its new holding HMH opens its horizons to Africa and Asia. Its ambitions are sound and clear: 100 hotels before 2012.Since its creation, Coral International Hotels has allowed itself to go wherever it could show its expertise. Like a clever chameleon, it has adapted itself to the contexts, markets, cultures, local partnerships to always come out like a legitimate partner. The new holding must enable it to take a decisive step to be among the leading hotel operators in the Africa-Middle East region.Michel Noblet was no newcomer to the hotel industry when he, with his son Ralph, created the group Coral International. Pioneer of the chain Le Méridien, he developed his entire career there, rising from hotel manager to manager for entire continents, Asia-Pacific and finally the Middle East and Western Asia. With 35 years of experience in management, he decided to go on his own in September 2003 and signed his first management contract a month later for Coral Beach Resort in Sharjah. History is in the ma-king and the last five years were marked by decisive stages in a course that was programmed with a first goal: 25 properties in the portfolio before the end of the year 2008. Established in Dubai, the company is not trying to compete with the extravagance that reigns in the Emirates. “I am not trying to build the biggest hotel of all times,” affirms Michel Noblet, “but to guarantee the best hospitality service...