Middle Eastern Clientele: the unknowns of Ramadan

Middle Eastern clientele were awaited by upscale hoteliers, especially in the current economic crisis where occupancy is struggling and average daily rates waver. In fact there is no need to explain, tourists from GCC * countries don’t look at the price. According to research by Mastercard, after 2007 49% of residents of the Persian Gulf spend from 1,000 to 5,000 dollars per stay and 27% between 5,000 and 10,000 dollars. The budget is even higher for another 14 percent – between 10,000 and 50,000 dollars. For 2%, the bill knows no bounds… It suffices to say that with the volume of nights they generate, the great Middle Eastern delegations are the barometer of a successful year for many palaces.Estimated dates of Ramadan in the years to come -* 2009: August 22 to 21 September -* 2010: August 11 to 10 September -* 2011: August 1 to August 30 -* 2012: 20 July to August 19 -* 2013: 9 July to August 8 -* 2014: June 28 to July 28 -* 2015: June 18 to July 17Each year these faithful clients seize the opportunity to escape the high heat of the Persian Gulf to take up residence on the shores of the Mediterranean (Cannes, Porto Cervo, Marbella), and of Lac Léman (Geneva, Lausanne) or in great cities such as Paris, London, Rome, Milan. But this year hoteliers have forged ahead into the unknown. The calendar was no help. Starting on August 22 and ending September 21, Ramadan cut part of the season short because the majority of vacationers from the Gulf prefer to spend the holy month at home, with their families. “For many, public image suffers if they are far from their country during Ramadan,” adds Eric Boonstoppel, managing director of Fouquet’s Barrière in Paris. Part of this clientele...