Three new hotels are in pipeline including one seven-star

Dhaka : Unique Hotel and Resorts have three renowned properties currently in operation in the capital - The Westin Dhaka, Sheraton Dhaka, and HANSA. The former two are popular five-star properties while the latter is a premium boutique hotel. 
Moreover, the Group will be launching three new hotels in the capital, one four-star, one five-star and one seven-star-the first of its kind in Bangladesh.
Shakawath Hossain, CEO of Unique Hotels and Resorts said this while talking to The Bangladesh Monitor at his office in the capital recently.  
"We will be establishing the high-end seven-star luxury hotel at the south side of The Westin Dhaka in Gulshan by 2027. The minimum room rate at the hotel would be USD 500," said Shakawath.  
"The other two hotels, four and five star respectively, will be established in Gulshan too by 2024. In total, we will have six hotels in the capital then," added Shakawath. 
The expansion plans of the group do not end there. Shakawath further mentioned that the group is planning to expand outside the capital as well. 
"We are planning to launch hotels in Cox's Bazar, Kuakata and Gazipur. Even at Hatirjheel in the capital, we have space on which we are eyeing to establish another hotel," said Shakawath. 
Following the pandemic, the Group's business is currently ramping up, said Shakawath. He hoped, by December 2022, the business will come to a stable stage and by 2023, the Group will be able to reach pre-pandemic levels. 
Nevertheless, the group is not currently facing loss, said Shakawath, expressing his delight as the Group has started profiting. 
Of the Group's three hotels currently in operation, Sheraton Dhaka is yet to open rooms. However, the hotel's signature dining outlets are getting great response from the local guests, mentioned Shakawath. 
"It is a brand new hotel with unique dining outlets. Garden Kitchen is the first of its kind restaurant in the capital with an outdoor alfresco area. The rooftop restaurant Yumi is also a one of a kind authentic Japanese restaurant with eye-catching panoramic views of the city." 
Sheraton Dhaka also stands out with banquet facilities. It has a massive ballroom, equipped with all modern technologies, said Shakawath, adding, there are four other rooms beside the ballroom. 
"If all the rooms are opened, we can accommodate 2000 people in total while in the ballroom only, 1000 people can be accommodated."
Sheraton Hotel is running quite a lot of promotions to bring more guests. "On every Thursday and Friday, we have theme based food festivals such as Mexican, Spanish, Italian, Mediterranean etc at our dining outlets," added the CEO of the Group.  
"Soon, we will be launching brunch on weekends to meet the customers’ needs," he further mentioned.  
On the other hand, The Westin Dhaka is witnessing a good room occupancy of 70 per cent and so is HANSA in Uttara, said Shakawath. 
However, Shakawath noted, currently, F&B is doing better business than rooms across all of the group's hotels. 
Shakawath foresees more room and hotel demand rising in the capital and the country in the coming days. Hence, the group is in efforts to cater to the demand with the opening of new hotels. 
"The demand is there. It will only increase more. Bangladesh has a growing economy. It is a business hub. It is a great market to promote any kind of business. Therefore, people are investing in Bangladesh and they will continue to do so. Hence, new hotels should come up to meet the demand. For this purpose, Unique Hotels and Resorts is trying to fill the gap in the market," claimed Shakawath.  
Shakawath worries there could be a big manpower gap in the hotel industry in the future. Hence, he stressed to train the country's younger generation properly to better serve the industry. 
It may be mentioned here, Unique Hotels and Resorts, thanks to its MD, the hospitality veteran, Noor Ali, was the first privately owned Group in the hospitality business.
With its three hotels, the Group paved way for private stakeholders to get into the market and help the hospitality industry prosper to new heights, concluded the Group CEO Shakawath Hossain.