Abdullah Melhem, who has worked in the Saudi hospitality industry for more than 17 years beginning in 1981 with Hyatt Regency Riyadh, is now the general manager of the five-star Sheraton Dammam.

“The industry has gone through a sea-change,” he told Arab News recently. “Things have improved for the better.”

According to him, there are better services, better facilities, and constant improvements. “The whole philosophy of the hotel industry has changed in the years since I first landed here,” he said. “In the early days, people saw hotels merely as a place to spend the night ... they did not bother about the room décor, television channels, LCD and high-definition screens, Internet or Wi-Fi connections, etc."

Melhem says the Eastern Province offers great opportunities in terms of attracting domestic and business tourists. “This region has seen rapid development thanks to the multibillion-riyal development projects that are coming up here,” he said.

Melhem says in the years past there were very few five-star hotels in Dammam and Alkhobar. “There was Al-Gosaibi Hotel, Dhahran International Hotel, Le Gulf Meridien ... Now there are many more chains and all of them are doing good business," he said.

“The opening of new five-star chains indicates that the business is good. Saudi Arabia has come a long way since the 1980s. There used to be just two television stations, Channel 1 and Channel 2, and few people knew about Saudi Arabia other than those who came for Umrah and Haj and to do business. Now it is the most important driver of growth in the region,” he said.

He said Sheraton Dammam has invested heavily in expanding its core business. “We recently opened a massive convention center; it is the largest in the Eastern Province,” he said. “It has become the focal point of key events, conferences, exhibitions and weddings.”

The hotel has seen a great surge in demand. “We have on an average 75 percent occupancy rate which is phenomenal but not unexpected,” said Melhem and pointed out that they have regular guests from Riyadh, especially families who visit the Eastern Province during weekends for the wonderful and well-kept beaches.

Melhem says Sheraton has earned the trust and favor of its customers because of excellent dining facilities at Café Vienna, Asahi Restaurant, Da Vinci, Fayrouz and Jar Al-Qamar. “Besides these popular restaurants we have spa and health facilities,” he said.

According to him, the future is bright. “I believe 2013 will be the boom year; more hotels will come up in the Eastern province and all of them will have good business,” he added.