Latest news with #Mattar
IOL News
6 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
IHG Hotels & Resorts to boost African hospitality with 35 new hotel openings
Set to open in December 2025, the InterContinental Table Bay hotel in Cape Town is a hotel leading hospitality player, IHG Hotels & Resorts are especially excited about, as part of its rapidly expanding hospitality landscape. Image: Supplied Leading hospitality player, IHG Hotels & Resorts, is recording strong growth trajectory in the African continent as they are set to open additional 35 hotels and over 6,500 rooms from the pipeline in next three years. The bold vision has signalled sustained regional growth for one of the world's leading hospitality companies and its rapidly expanding hospitality landscape. IHG's portfolio in Africa includes 38 open hotels and over 9,200 rooms. IHG expects milestone hotel openings this year across Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa, including the voco Cairo Arabella Plaza, InterContinental Rabat, and the iconic InterContinental Table Bay Cape Town. Managing Director for IHG Hotels & Resorts for India, Middle East & Africa (IMEA), Haitham Mattar, said: 'Driven by the vast tourism potential and increasing urban development across various countries, Africa continues to generate strong demand for international-standard accommodations, presenting an incredible opportunity for growth in the hospitality sector. Travellers are eager to explore the continent's diverse offerings – its natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, unique wildlife experiences, and business potential, presenting exciting opportunities for IHG.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Set to open in December 2025, the InterContinental Table Bay hotel in Cape Town is a hotel they are especially excited about, said Mattar, as it will build on the hotel's rich history and usher in a new era of luxury hospitality in the market. 'With its scenic location and a legacy of excellence, this iconic property embodies the essence of the InterContinental brand, and we're pleased to be working with V&A Waterfront and Sun International to bring this to life in one of Africa's most vibrant cities,' said Mattar. Head of Franchise, Amith Khanna, said that as one of the largest hospitality companies with over 6,700 hotels, and more than 1,000 in the pipeline, franchising in Africa was established three years ago. 'It is growing and developing. In this part of the world, our boldest strategy in most of the markets is franchising. So we don't mix one operating goal over another because it's always about the right operating model, with the right brand, the right buyer, and the right market. 'For franchising, owners need to have their expertise and experience in managing. We set standards, and they need to deliver on those standards. If they cannot do it, then we are willing to work with party management companies, and that is how we see people wanting to own their franchise,' said Khanna. Khanna said they currently have seven operating hotels in South Africa. The African hospitality industry is experiencing significant growth, driven by international hotel chains increasing operations and expanding their footprints. As per a report by UN Tourism, in 2024, the continent welcomed 74 million international visitors – a 7% increase from 2019 and a 12% increase compared to 2023. North Africa led the recovery with a 22% increase in international arrivals compared to 2019, with intra-African travel also playing a significant role in the overall tourism increase. Such figures indicate an enhancement of infrastructure and experiences and a growing perception of Africa as a premier tourism destination. Speaking to the challenges of the hospitality industry, Khanna said: 'You will always have challenges but it's about how to mitigate those challenges. Whether it's the economic instability of a country that's a trigger that once stability sets in, you get a lot of demand getting to you where owners reach out to us wanting to take on a specific brand. 'So whether it's the inflation or devaluation of currency and the build of operational costs, many owners share the challenges they face. Regarding skilled manpower, we aim to counter this by providing training and community upliftment,' said Khanna.
Al Jazeera
23-05-2025
- Health
- Al Jazeera
South Sudan refugees in Ethiopia face ‘health catastrophe', charity warns
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, has warned of a looming 'health catastrophe' among South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia, citing surging cholera cases and widespread malnutrition in overcrowded camps near the border. In a statement issued Friday, the charity said the local health system is overwhelmed and unable to cope with the needs of tens of thousands of new arrivals. 'With waterborne illnesses like cholera and acute watery diarrhoea on the rise, the risk of a public health catastrophe is imminent,' MSF said. The influx follows renewed violence in South Sudan, where a fragile power-sharing deal has broken down. Clashes between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and rival groups aligned with First Vice President Riek Machar have intensified, forcing many to flee. Machar was placed under house arrest in March, further straining the peace process. Between 35,000 and 85,000 refugees have fled to Mattar, an Ethiopian border town, according to MSF. The organisation reported treating more than 1,200 cholera patients, warning that the disease can be deadly in up to 20 percent of cases if untreated. It also noted that more than 40 percent of malaria tests have come back positive, and nearly 7 percent of children under five suffer from severe acute malnutrition. Since February, more than 200 people with war injuries have arrived at MSF clinics in the area. MSF urged all parties to the conflict to ensure humanitarian access and called on international donors to increase support. 'Shelter, water and medical care are severely lacking in Mattar,' it said. The UN warned on Friday that the situation in South Sudan is deteriorating quickly and on the brink of a wider crisis. 'The escalating hostilities… portend a real risk of further exacerbating the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation,' said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk, urging all sides to pull back immediately. Between 3-20 May, fighting reportedly killed at least 75 civilians and injured dozens more. UN reports say the South Sudanese military carried out air, ground and river assaults in populated areas, including attacks on an MSF-run health facility.
Arab News
23-05-2025
- Health
- Arab News
South Sudan refugees in Ethiopia face imminent ‘health catastrophe'
ADDIS ABABA: South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia face an imminent 'health catastrophe,' Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Friday, citing a cholera epidemic and cases of severe acute malnutrition. South Sudan, the world's youngest country after gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, was plunged into a violent civil war between 2013 and 2018 that claimed around 400,000 lives. A power-sharing agreement between the warring parties provided a fragile calm, but it has all but collapsed as violent clashes have broken out between forces allied to President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival, First Vice President Riek Machar, who was put under house arrest in March. According to MSF, 35,000 to 85,000 South Sudanese refugees have fled to Mattar, an Ethiopian town near the border with South Sudan. 'The local infrastructure is stretched beyond capacity,' the NGO said in a statement, adding that 'with the resurgence of waterborne diseases such as cholera and acute watery diarrhea, the risk of a health disaster is imminent.' MSF said it had treated around 1,200 patients with cholera, a disease that can be fatal in 10-20 percent of cases. 'Over 40 percent of malaria rapid diagnostic tests have returned positive, and nearly 7 percent of children under five show signs of severe acute malnutrition,' MSF added. The NGO also announced that it had moved its medical services from the Ethiopian border town of Burbeiye to the more distant Mattar due to armed clashes between 'the South Sudanese army and an opposition group' along the border. It has received more than 200 people with 'war injuries' in Burbeiye since the fighting began in February, it said. MSF urged the various parties to the conflict in South Sudan to 'ensure a safe humanitarian space and protect civilians and aid workers alike,' and called on international donors to scale up assistance particularly in Mattar 'where shelter, water and medical care are in too low supply for people who have fled horrific violence.'
The National
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Jordan's Princess Rajwa wears bespoke Bahraini pearls by Mattar Jewellers in new portrait
To mark Princess Rajwa's 31st birthday this week, her husband, Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein, posted a previously unseen portrait of the pair on social media. "Happy birthday Rajwa! Grateful for the love, kindness and warmth you bring into Iman's life and mine,' the crown prince wrote, referring to their baby daughter. The informal photograph shows Prince Hussein wearing a black polo shirt and black trousers, while the princess mirrors his relaxed look in a caramel-coloured dress and cardigan by American label Khaite. Her look is completed with a gold charm necklace and a pair of gold earrings made with rare Bahraini pearls. The drop earrings were custom-made for the princess by Mattar Jewellers, a pearl specialist that has been working with natural pearls from the Arabian Gulf for 175 years. Inspired by traditional lampshades, the drop earrings are a nod to regional culture while being resolutely modern. Sculptural gold beads and white diamonds are interspaced with the natural pearls. This is not the first time that Mattar has found royal favour. Prince Hussein's mother Queen Rania of Jordan has been photographed carrying a Mattar clutch bag decorated with pearls. Faten Mattar is a sixth-generation member of the family business, as well as its director of brand and communications. She told The National why the company is well placed to supply bespoke jewellery to royalty. "Our mandate is to get everyone to wear natural pearls, and if you ask me what we enjoy and love doing, it's always [designing and making] the bespoke pieces. With natural pearls being unique, every single piece is different," she says. The company is known for its expertise and has worked Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpel. "We do have buyers come in for some royalty or ultra-high-net-worth people," says Mattar, adding diplomatically: "But in these particular cases, people of the same calibre gifted them the pieces." In an era of over-exposure, she believes the company's enduring appeal lies in its discretion. "People tell us: 'Oh, I'm shocked that I don't know about you,'" Mattar says. "But in our line of business, that's how it should be. It's about being exclusive."
BBC News
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Portsmouth Museum hosts 'extremely exciting' Sudan exhibition
The Sudanese community in Portsmouth has helped curate an exhibition about the country's history and Sudan: Enduring Heritage opened at Portsmouth Museum & Art Gallery on Saturday and will run until Sunday 11 Mattar, who is Sudanese but was born and raised in Portsmouth, helped curate the exhibition and said it was "extremely exciting"."As a community we all came together," she said. "It's a big thing... I was overwhelmed." The exhibition features artefacts from the ancient Kushite Kingdom, on loan from the British Museum, as well as those from more modern Sudan. Ms Mattar said she was "shocked" when she was asked to help."Imagine someone like me, minding my own business, going to uni, going to work, going home, and you're getting told 'oh, the museum wants to do an exhibition in Portsmouth and they want to do a room for the Sudanese community," she said that, growing up, a lot of people had not even heard of Sudan when they asked where she was from, and now the focus was very much on the war."It's not about the culture, its not about our people," she said she hoped the exhibition would change that."Everyone was just happy... it was extremely exciting," she added. Loretta Kilroe, British Museum curator for Sudan and Nubia, said she was "thrilled" more people would get to see the artefacts, and she wanted to reach people who did not know much about ancient Sudan."Sudan, particularly the kingdom of Kush, was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world but people never think about that," she said the war going on in Sudan made the exhibition even more pertinent."Today, Sudan faces a significant threat, particularly to its cultural heritage but also to huge numbers of its people," she said."We hope that this will shine a spotlight on Sudanese heritage and particularly our Sudanese colleagues, who are still working to protect the region." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
