Tatweer Misr, the leading Egyptian real estate developer, announced during a press conference today the signing of an MoU with international hotel operator Kerten Hospitality, one of the subsidiary arms of leading investment firm Kerten. The agreement, which sees Kerten Hospitality work exclusively with Tatweer Misr in Egypt, includes two of Kerten’s brands. One of these is the boutique hotel and serviced apartment concept, The House Hotel & The House Residence, which offers an individual experience in a luxury setting. The second is Kerten’s first brand catering to the next-generation, connected traveler, Cloud7 Hotel & Residence.
The number of projects in the pipeline include seven hotels in total, which will be located in Tatweer Misr’s flagship projects IL Monte Galala in Sokhna and North Coast’s Fouka Bay. The former will host 3 hotels (Cloud7 Hotel & Serviced Apartments, a Cloud7 Hotel, and The House-branded villas, Serviced Apartments, and Hotel) spread across 1,340 keys and a total built-up area of 108,000m2, while Fouka Bay will feature 4 properties (two House Hotels & Serviced Apartments, Cloud7 Hotel, Serviced Cabanas & Bungalows, and a Cloud7 Hotel), offering more than 1,000 keys covering around 100,000m2. The first hotel opening is the House Hotel Fouka which is scheduled to start its soft opening in 2020 in the North Coast development. overlooking the island’s green landscapes and crystal-clear lagoons
The developments will include multiple F&B concepts, such as Kerten’s gourmet burger concept, Frikadell, as well as evening rooftop venues and new concepts that Kerten is developing alongside Michelin star chef, Jaume Puigdengolas.
“We are delighted with this new project that perfectly complements our expansion strategy across the Middle East,” says Marloes Knippenberg, CEO of Kerten Hospitality. Knippenberg praised Egypt’s unique location stating, “Egypt has always been one of our key destinations, and as we seek property owners in each of our target countries, our emphasis is on finding partners that reflect our personalized approach.” “Each of our properties adopts its own unique interpretation of our hotels as our management brand is independent, nimble and adept at responding and adapting to the dynamic demands of the connected-generations and the cultures in which our hotels make our homes,” says Knippenberg.
Making its debut in Egypt with these projects, Kerten Hospitality has found success over the last few years with its approachable, yet individualistic, style of hospitality concepts – ranging from its five-star offering through to its entry in the affordable segment – all of which are built on a foundation of connecting guests with each other, as well as the local community.
The new concept solution and non-traditional approach is not new to Tatweer Misr whose flagship project in IL Monte Galala encapsulates their driving force of seeking new and alternative approaches in line with their ethos of building value. As Dr. Ahmed Shalaby, Managing Director of Tatweer Misr explains, “The collaboration with Kerten Hospitality is the result of years of work in looking for a partner who represents a new way of thinking and a different approach that aligns not only with our thinking but more importantly is flexible enough to integrate the requirements of our projects.” He went on to clarify that “a deep knowledge of both the North Coast and El Sokhna is imperative to our process; we study our audience and look for ways to satisfy their needs by providing destinations with the essential elements which customers find inviting and are essential elements of a city’s social infrastructure”.
Tatweer Misr aims for IL Monte Galala and Fouka Bay to become THE destination, with the potential to attract not only national, but more importantly, international travelers. Dr. Shalaby further explains, “Tourism in Egypt has been flourishing over the past few years where we received around 5.26 million visitors by the end of 2017, this further propels us as developers to install pull factors across the board, ones that can ultimately play to our advantage as a company, and Egypt’s economy.” Knippenberg mirrors that sentiment adding: “We will be doing a lot of things differently with Cloud7 with the aim of shaking up the more traditional hotel model that remains predominant in the Middle East to become a regional leader in smart-hotels that blend the authentic buzz of local and social with stylish comforts.”
It is expected that the 7 new hotels with their different concepts will succeed in attracting a large number of savvy international and national travelers of all age groups. KERTEN Hospitality is set to present Fouka Bay with a lineup of fully furnished serviced apartments, hotel rooms, bungalows, and cabanas overlooking the island’s green landscapes and crystal-clear lagoons. Meanwhile, IL Monte Galala will provide potential customers with a lineup of fully furnished serviced apartments, hotel rooms and The House branded villas.
