Shaza hits sweet spot for halal travel

Nader talks about Shaza's positioning.

Shaza Hotels – an affiliate of Kempinski, wants to be the world's leading Muslim-friendly hotel brand. The brand hits a sweet spot where other brands are not playing, says Chris Nader, VP, Shaza Hotels.

First off, there is currently high demand for halal-friendly services but a low supply of quality halal acommodation around the world, Nader said at the recent Halal-In-Travel Asia Summit.

"Investors are shy to invest in halal travel especially outside of OIC countries. The key focus is that Muslim travellers don't always travel in Muslim countries. This is where the investment opportunity is."

"When you Google 'halal hotel', 'dry hotels', 'shari'ah-compliant hotels' – the image of halal tourism that (you get is that) you're providing accommodation that looks like it is coming from the 1800s," he added.

Third, there are brands which are not built on values that are halal, but which provide token support such as Ramadhan timings, he continued.

Source: Shaza Hotels website. Bedroom at the Shaza Riyadh.

Shaza addresses these challenges as a luxury, high-quality, halal-friendly accommodation platform that can be found around the world. The food and beverages are halal; there are prayer facilities, segregation of the wet areas, privacy and respectful entertainment, Nader said.

"It takes a lot of education to design a (property) for our market," he commented. Among the considerations for halal travel are the ability to rent swimming pools for privacy, and separate pools for ladies. The pools tend to be situated on the rooftop so that they are impossible to see from the rooms, Nader said.

Nader disclosed that Shaza's loyalty programme has 11 million members. "Niche doesn't mean small. Niche means specialised," he said.

Details:

Shaza has two brands, Shaza for five-star accommodation, and Mysk which is more high-tech and  fronts its four-star properties. Mysk offers 30 sq m rooms whereas Shaza rooms may be 45 to 50 sq m.

In 2018, Shaza opened the Shaza Makkah in KSA, complementing the Shaza Al Madina. The Shaza Riyadh and the Shaza Jeddah are expected online soon. New Shaza properties are coming online in Doha, Qatar and Salalah, Oman in 2019.

Mysk by Shaza, Al Mouj, can be found in Muscat, Oman, while Mysk Kuwait, opposite the Messilah beach district, opens early 2020 and Mysk the Palm in Jumeirah is to open before Expo 2020 in Dubai, UAE.

Other hotels are planned in Lombok, Indonesia; Colombo Sri Lanka, and Muscat, Oman.

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