After a long and fruitful partnership with the World Travel Awards, Russel Sharpe, outgoing chief operating officer with Citymax Hotels, picks up the prize for Middle East’s Leading Budget Hotel Brand for the final time.

With a new property opening in Ras al Khaimah and ambitious expansion plans unveiled for Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Citymax Hotels is taking its budget brand to the world. Here Breaking Travel News chats with head of sales Mohamed Anwar to discover more.

Russel Sharpe, chief operating officer, Citymax Hotels, tells Breaking Travel News about the brand’s new property in Ras al Khaimah, one of the fastest developing of the United Arab Emirates.

Breaking Travel News chats with Russel Sharpe, chief operating, Citymax Hotels, about the growth of the mid-market sector in the Middle East and the importance of winning at the World Travel Awards.

Dubai, a city known for its world-class hospitality industry and landmark hotels, is training its focus on mid-market hotels in a bid to attract a larger percentage of the millennial and family travel business. With Dubai’s transformation from a luxury and business-centric city to a more mature destination attracting a diversified tourist profile, the move to increase the city’s mid-scale room stock aligns with the requirements of the millennial and family travel segments from emergent markets such as China, Africa, Brazil and India.

Citymax Hotels, the hospitality division of the Landmark Group, has reveal the launch of its refreshed visual identity, together with a preview into its re-designed rooms. This exciting process has been inspired by and created to meet the needs of the modern informed traveller. Bold, vibrant and full of life, the re-brand is a response to the changing audience profile Citymax has attracted over the last five years.