Dooms days for the hotel industry of Dubai have not been over yet and the sector is likely to remain under pressure until the end of 2011 and 2012. Hotel room rates, adversely hit due to slump in the hospitality segment, are expected to start improving in late 2011, according to a research conducted by CB Richard Ellis (CBRE).

Premier Inn, the prestigious hotel brand of the UK, has been looking to expand its presence in the Gulf region given to its rising importance in the business and hospitality domain. The hotel, in partnership with Emirates Group, is planning to build 50 hotels in the Middle-East in next few years.

The Oetker Hotel Collection (OHC), a boutique European hotel operator, is set to make its entry in Abu Dhabi by opening a 250-room hotel equipped with all modern amenities, in the country. Abu Dhabi would be its first destination outside Europe in line with OHC's policy to strengthen its position in the hospitality domain.

Abu Dhabi National Hotels PJSC, facing acute shortage of funds, has managed to get syndicate loan worth Dh1.5 billion from a group of banks including National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Union National Bank. The move would help the ADNH to complete its pending hospitality projects.

The Local House restaurant, a traditional Emirati restaurant in Dubai, has expanded its menu by adding the Camel Burger available for just 20 UAE dirhams or $4.45. The fat free burger, weighing just a quarter pound, can be a good choice for carnivorous but health-conscious diners.

Arabian Construction Company has awarded a US $51 million (AED187 million) contract to Drake and Scull International (DSI). It is the third contract in a row which has been won by DSI this year, making the company to lift its total project value to $100.4 million in the first quarter.

It was announced by Italian fashion brand Armani that it first hotel which opens from March 18th in Dubai is open to bookings.

To host its first venture into hospitality, the luxury label, managed by its founder Giorgio Armani and at present runs a variety of fashion lines as well as home accessory boutiques, spas, and cafés, has chosen the just-opened Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai) which is the World's largest tower.