CapitaLand’s wholly-owned lodging business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), has been recognised as the ‘Leading Serviced Apartment Brand’ at this year’s World Travel Awards for Middle East, Europe and Asia. Ascott has received these top honours for each of these regions for the fifth consecutive year.
The leading international lodging owner-operator emerged the biggest winner among the serviced residence players at the prestigious World Travel Awards for all three regions, with 21 accolades in total. Ascott received top honours of ‘Leading Serviced Apartment Brand’ across eight regions, including the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Asia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam. Voted by tourism professionals and business and leisure travellers worldwide, winners of the annual World Travel Awards are globally recognised as hallmarks of industry excellence.
Mr. Alfred Ong, Ascott’s Head for Global Operations, said: “Being recognised again as the top serviced apartment brand in Asia and Europe is an affirmation of the quality and excellence that Ascott offers to our guests and partners. Throughout the COVID-19 situation, our guests remained our top priority, thanks to our dedicated employees who selflessly ensure that Ascott provides a safe home away from home.”
“To give our guests peace of mind, we launched our ‘Ascott Cares’ commitment to deliver stringent hygiene and cleanliness measures. We have also partnered with Bureau Veritas to provide independent audits of the hygiene and safety standards of our properties worldwide. To reward our guests for their support, we launched several initiatives including an Elite Status match for members of Ascott Star Rewards (ASR), Ascott’s loyalty programme. Guests can also download the new ‘Discover ASR’ mobile app to unlock a world of conveniences, gaining access to greater value, flexibility and enhance their experience with Ascott. We will continue to raise our standards of excellence to set new benchmarks in the hospitality industry,” said Ong.
Travel industry professionals and consumers worldwide continued to vote for Ascott and its properties as the best in the world for multiple years at the World Travel Awards. Ascott continued to hold the title of ‘Middle East’s Leading Serviced Apartment Brand’ for the fifth consecutive year. Its operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) performed exceptionally well; capturing ‘Saudi Arabia’s Leading Serviced Apartment Brand’ for the fourth consecutive year. Ascott Rafal Olaya Riyadh also claimed the title of ‘Saudi Arabia’s Leading Serviced Apartments’ for the first time this year. In Turkey, Somerset Maslak Istanbul won ‘Leading Serviced Apartment’ for the second year running.
In October 2020, Ascott received the ‘Best Serviced Residence Brand’ for the fifth time at the Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2020. The Business Traveller Awards recognises the best in the travel and hospitality industry as voted by readers of the magazine who are frequent corporate travellers.
Despite the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ascott’s staff displayed unwavering passion to care for the guests’ safety and wellbeing, earning heartfelt appreciation from guests from around the world. Ascott’s staff looked into every detail of the guest experience, including putting in extra effort to step up cleaning and disinfection at the properties, particularly the high touch areas; taking precautions to ensure safe distancing; and enhancing food safety protocols for meals to guests.
Complementing Ascott’s award winning portfolio, the group continues to grow steadily across the Middle East, Africa and Turkey. Following its recent signing of Somerset Al Mansoura Doha in Qatar and Somerset Bole Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Ascott currently has 12 other properties in the pipeline, including: Citadines Al Ghubrah Muscat (Oman), Somerset City Centre Atyrau (Kazakhstan), Somerset Westview Nairobi (Kenya), Somerset Downtown Al Khobar (KSA), Ascott Villas Riyadh (KSA), Citadines Culture Village Dubai (UAE), Citadines Abha (KSA), Citadines Al Aziziyah Al Khobar (KSA), Citadines Maslak Istanbul (Turkey), Citadines Racine Casablanca (Morocco), Somerset Rosslyn Nairobi (Kenya), and Ascott Riviera Golf Abidjan (Ivory Coast).
Ascott and its properties were conferred the following awards in the MEAT region for 2020:
Brand Specific Awards:
World Travel Awards 2020:
- Middle East’s Leading Serviced Apartment Brand: The Ascott Limited
- Saudi Arabia’s Leading Serviced Apartment Brand: The Ascott Limited
Business Traveller Awards 2020:
- Best Serviced Apartments Brand in the Middle East: The Ascott Limited
Property Specific Awards:
World Travel Awards 2020:
- Saudi Arabia’s Leading Serviced Apartments: Ascott Rafal Olaya Riyadh
- Turkey’s Leading Serviced Apartments: Somerset Maslak Istanbul
