After one year of operation, are you in line with your objectives?
The Barcelo Anfa Casablanca is a reference product given its structure, location and the notoriety of the BarceloHotels&Resorts brand.
As the brand’s first five-star hotel in Morocco, it is recording satisfactory results and forecasts are very encouraging.
The destination Casablanca is experiencing some challenges in 2019 due to an economic situation that, it must be admitted, is mixed. But, ultimately, it’s a long-term investment. We have achieved the best levels of quality on all social networks and on specialized sites such as Booking, Tripadvisor, Expedia, Google.
We are in first position in our market segment compared to other 5-star hotels belonging to international chains established in the city.
We have several assets: Barcelo Anfa has 2,000 m² dedicated to seminars, congresses and meetings. This offer is unique in Casablanca due to the location of our site, the quality of service and infrastructure. Our facilities and rooms are also of high quality and stand out for their new style and comfort.
What constraints did you encounter?
Casablanca, like all metropolises in the world, suffers from traffic and noise problems. Which is somewhat normal, given that it is the economic capital of the country, with a financial center and a large industrial platform. So a lot of flows.
It should be noted that such a city naturally attracts more events, with peaks during which the hotel supply sometimes fails to satisfy demand. But I think things will evolve.
BarceloHotels&Resorts and other chains are developing infrastructure to increase their capacity, the quality of the offer and attract more major events for the city of Casablanca.
What about your positioning. Is it purely business or is it a mix with leisure tourism?
We have a clientele oriented more towards business tourism with an average of more than 2 nights per stay. But overall, we have a good mix between business and leisure tourism.
On the online site, requests are individual and more leisure-oriented and this represents a significant clientele in this segment. We are performing well across our online channels.
We are also developing partnerships with leisure professionals. The BarceloHotels&Resorts group is the first hotel group in Morocco to sign with Morocco Travel Management (MTM Dmc’s), which brings together the largest travel agencies in Morocco. This will allow us to breathe new life into the brand.
We work with the Regional Tourism Centers (CRT) in terms of support for new markets, as well as with public authorities to develop the leisure and business offer. We support the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) in promoting the destination Morocco in general and Casablanca in particular by joining one-off campaigns.
The results are very convincing, without forgetting the participation in fairs and exhibitions to promote the Morocco destination. It should be noted the strong presence of the chain in the main cities of the Kingdom with the Barcelo Anfa, Barcelo Tanger, Barcelo Fès Médina, Barcelo Casablanca, Barcelo Palmeraie and finally Allegro Agadir.
Competition is expected to expand with the opening of around twenty hotels by 2022. What are Barcelo’s assets to stand out?
We have several. First of all, the quality of service which is our workhorse and therefore one of our main assets.
We work hard to develop it, maintain it and meet our customers’ requirements. Also, we know that new hotel establishments are emerging every day, but isn’t the most difficult thing to have a strategic location, right in the city center like ours?
Our location is also a sure added value and a major asset. I would also like to add the flexibility of the offer as a plus to our credit. Indeed, owning a 5-star Barcelo Anfa hotel near another establishment in the same 4-star group, the Barcelo Casablanca, undeniably creates a synergy between two offers that allow us to meet the needs of customers with different budgets. Finally, BarceloHotels&Resorts is part of a cycle of all-out openings, as new sites will expand our offerings over the coming years.
Are you confident about the future?
Of course, there are cycles with ups and downs, which however remain cyclical, but I am very confident for the future. Casablanca has several tourist potentials which make it a very promising destination.
Overall, Morocco has sustained growth prospects. The other key destinations in the sector (Marrakech, Agadir, Tangier, Fez, etc.) are doing well.
It is for this reason that the BarceloHotels&Resorts group has a very ambitious investment program in the country. New hotel openings, even for other chains, will have to raise the capacity and quality level of the sector in Morocco.
source: fnh.ma
