Rise of the sharia-compliant hotel?

Mar 15th 2009, 22:55 by The Economist | WASHINGTON DC

FIRST there was sharia-compliant banking. Now, apparently, demand for sharia-compliant
hotels is the next big thing. According to an article in Emirates Business 24/7, Muslim business
travellers are now demanding hotels that are fully sharia-compliant:
The popular misconception in the absence of standardization or certification is that a hotel that does
not serve alcoholic beverages and serves halal food is a Shariah-compliant hotel.

John Podaris, Associate Director, TRI Hospitality Consulting, told Emirates Business: "It is more
than just not serving beverages and non-halal food that makes a hotel Shariah, though of course
these are two very important aspects of being Shariah-compliant. If the hotel has to be Shariah-
complaint then the concept should be implemented right through. The hotel must have separate
entrances for women, as well as women only function rooms. The rooms must be designed for
prayers and ablution"
That's a lot to keep in mind, but hotels are, of course, in the business of making guests happy. The
best hotels already do lots of things to make their guests more comfortable. If theres as much
demand as Emirates Business claims, it shouldn't be too hard to create hotels that are sharia-
compliant. The problem, of course, is that serving alcohol is immensely profitable for hotels, and
implementing modifications like separate entrances costs money. Business travelers who are
demanding sharia-compliant hotels are going to have to prove that there are enough of them who
are willing to pay a premium to make up for the extra cost of providing sharia-compliant services. If
the demand really is there, sharia-compliant hotels will spring up everywhere.
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http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2009/03/rise_of_the_shariah-compliant-hotel