Numbers 50-31 revealed in Hotelier's 2011 Power 50
Today, the names of those that made it onto the Hotelier Middle East 2011 Power 50 in positions 50-31 can be revealed, with numbers 30-11 and the top 10 most power hoteliers in the region to be uncovered over the next two days on Hoteliermiddleeast.com.
The Hotelier Middle East Power 50 seeks to recognise the 50 individuals driving the growth of the hotel industry in the region and shaping the face of the Middle East hospitality business for years to come. The Hotelier Middle East Power 50 2011 is a celebration of the highest achievers and most influential people working in the Middle East hospitality industry today.
RevPARs and room rates aside, the hotel industry is a people business and it is the passion, drive and success of the professionals working in the Middle East’s hotel industry that the Power 50 seeks to recognise.
Yes, financial performance is important, as are portfolio sizes, room inventories and pipeline projections, but these are not the determining factors in the Power 50. That would simply be a list of the biggest and the best hotel chains, not recognition of the commitment of the people behind those chains. The Power 50 strives to go beyond this and offer a true celebration of the talent in the industry.
This is especially important in 2011, a year in which the industry has faced numerous challenges, from political unrest, that has of course negatively impacted some figures, and ongoing global financial uncertainty. It is what the hoteliers have achieved despite these conditions that is important — and from the 50 stories we have to tell, I think you will agree there is a resoundingly positive outlook for the Middle East’s hotel industry.
This is the third edition of the Hotelier Middle East Power 50 and, as before, it has been compiled following the recommendations of hoteliers working in the industry and expert consultants coupled with the industry knowledge acquired by the ITP Business team responsible for Hotelier Middle East over the past nine years.
There is significant movement in this 2011 edition of the power list plus the addition of 20 new entrants this year, which is attributable to several factors. Some new faces are people behind emerging brands that Hotelier believes have made an impact on the hotel industry in 2011, while others have recently joined leading companies in the region, sometimes replacing past Power 50 entrants, and proving themselves in their new roles.
Some new entrants have been chosen to replace global managers based in the US or the UK that Hotelier has previously recognised in the Power 50. This year, we have refocused the list to include, as far as possible, those senior executives physically based in the Middle East.
As before, the list does not include members of royal families, although their visionary contributions are acknowledged, but another shift has occurred in the type of hospitality professional recognised in the list. Our first Power 50 included all those that contributed to the sector, from architects and suppliers to operators and developers. Last year, the ranking was refined and this year, the net has been tightened further still, largely as a reflection of the sheer number of hoteliers achieving great things in the region.
The top 10, therefore, showcases 10 of the very strongest hoteliers in the Middle East, with representation from international and, importantly, regional chains. Some government officials and tourism experts also enter the list, albeit lower down the rankings than last year — these are the representatives we feel have made most impact when it comes to destination planning and of course, we recognise that the achievements of the afore-mentioned hoteliers are in many cases partly attributable to the opportunities these destinations have afforded them.
However, it is the Hotelier Middle East Power 50, so it is quite right that our top 10 at the very least are 100% hoteliers.
Ultimately, the Power 50 entrants’ rankings are devised based upon a series of factors: the level of commitment to working in the region over a period of time; loyalty to their current company; the overall size of the hotel portfolio and rooms inventory they are responsible for, if applicable; their specific achievements in 2011; their reputation among industry peers; and their dedication to further developing their hold over the hospitality industry in the Middle East.
It is a subjective, not a scientific, list based on the opinion of Hotelier Middle East. We encourage you to read it, debate it, congratulate your colleagues, and let us know your feedback. The research for next year’s Power 50 begins now and in the meantime click through the pages to find the names of those that made it onto the list in positions 50-31.
50 PAUL ARNOLD
VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT,
MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND INDIAN OCEAN, ROSEWOOD HOTELS AND RESORTS
Our final new entrant to the Power 50 this year is Paul Arnold, recently appointed by Rosewood Hotels and Resorts to spearhead the company’s development in the Middle East, Africa and Indian Ocean.
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts currently operates three hotels in the Middle East — Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel and Hotel Al Khozama in Riyadh and Rosewood Corniche in Jeddah.
Rosewood Abu Dhabi is scheduled to open in the summer of 2012, while Rosewood Dubai will become operational in late 2012.
Arnold joins Rosewood following 12 years at Ernst & Young, five of which were spent in the US before he relocated to Dubai where he helped establish the company’s real estate, hospitality and leisure advisory services in the MENA region.
49 RON HILVERT
MANAGING DIRECTOR
EMIRATES ACADEMY OF HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT
Ron Hilvert is the founder and managing director of the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management.
Hilvert has more than 40 years of professional experience in the hospitality industry and is recognised as one of the most experienced human resources executives in the industry worldwide.
He has had professional and educational contact with all the major hotel
48 VICTOR LOUIS
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, HOTELS & TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, GOVERNMENT OF RAS AL KHAIMAH, UAE
Tasked with revitalising tourism in Ras Al Khaimah with a proposed investment budget of US $100 million for new hotel and tourism developments over the coming four years is chief operating officer of the Ras Al Khaimah Hotels & Tourism Development Authority, Victor Louis.
Having had responsibility for Hilton’s five hotels in the emirate, Louis was well placed to take the reins at the new hotels and tourism authority this May, where he is now responsible for managing overall strategy and putting together a 10-year plan to supervise market-expansion of the hotel sector.
Already, it has been announced that Waldorf Astoria will assume management of a new hotel in the emirate and Hilton will take over operations at Al Hamra Fort.
47 SIMON COOMBS
PRESIDENT AND CEO, SHAZA HOTELS
Shaza Hotels, a joint venture between Guidance Hotel Investment Company based in Paris and Kempinski Hotels S.A. based in Geneva, has finally opened its first property in the Middle East thanks to the driving force of Simon Coombs, president and chief executive officer.
A new operator focused on niche markets, such as religious tourism, Shaza Hotels owns and operates Shaza Al Madinah and has properties committed in Marrakech, Fez, Bahrain and Cairo. It also has projects signed with Range Hospitality, a specialist developer of hotels in areas of high religious tourism, with the Al Rawdatain Gardens hotel currently under development in Karbala, Iraq.
By 2016, Shaza Hotels aims to have between 25 and 30 hotels in its portfolio, up to 10 of which will be owned by the Shaza fund managed by Guidance Hotel Investment Company.
Shaza hotels will primarily be located in the Middle East and North Africa, in places such as Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, with secondary markets being the south of Asia and key European destinations.
46 ABDIN NASRALLA
VICE PRESIDENT
MEYDAN HOTELS & HOSPITALITY
Having dedicated 30 years of his hospitality career to the Middle East, predominately in Dubai, Abdin Nasralla is well recognised for his contributions to the growth of the UAE’s tourism industry.
Nasralla joined the Jumeirah Group in Dubai in 2001 and in 2004, was appointed to lead the opening of Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa.
Nasralla developed the resort into an icon and is still at the helm of the property today in his present role as vice president of Meydan Hotels & Hospitality, a division of Meydan City Corporation and the owning and management company of The Meydan hotel and Bab Al Shams.
Meydan Hotels & Hospitality took over the management of the two hotels from Jumeirah Group in January of this year.
45 AHMED RAMDAN
CEO, RÒYA INTERNATIONAL
Seasoned consultant Ahmed Ramdan, chief executive officer of Ròya International, continues to advise on the Middle East’s most iconic hotel projects while developing and extending its own business.
Ròya International is currently supplying hospitality advisory services to five major upcoming hotels in Abu Dhabi: St. Regis at Nation Towers, Sofitel, The Regent Emirates Pearl, Park Hyatt and Ritz-Carlton Grand Canal.
Elsewhere, over the past 12 months it has completed work on the Oryx Rotana by Qatar Airways in Doha and is providing consultancy to the new airport in Doha.
Other projects include a classification initiative with Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority as well as the extension of Roya’s hotel asset management services to Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
44 DAVID THOMSON
REGIONAL GENERAL MANAGER, JEBEL ALI INTERNATIONAL HOTELS
Former head of sales and marketing at the former Hilton at the World Trade Centre, David Thomson set up his own advertising and marketing company before returning to the hospitality sector with Dutco.
Here, he became general manager of the Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa and is now supervising expansion as regional general manager at Jebel Ali International Hotels, while marking 21 years in Dubai.
Celebrating 30 years of operation this month, the group has diversified with the launch of luxury apartments at Oasis Beach Tower, the Bateaux Dubai and DiVAZ floating club, Jebel Ali Shooting Club and Centre of Excellence sports training, and Al Sahra Desert Resort.
While the sky-rise project on the beachfront of the demolished Oasis Beach Hotel is on hold, the group is completing refurbishment of the Palm Tree Court and the shooting club at the Jebel Ali resort, and plans have been announced for the addition of 76 suites at the former as well as a villa development in the grounds.
In addition, Hatta Fort Hotel will be refurbished next year and Round Island resort in the Seychelles will debut in 2012, while more expansion plans are currently in the development stage.
43 TAREK EL SHERIF
MANAGING DIRECTOR
V.FIVE CONTINENTS HOSPITALITY GROUP
Managing director of V.Five Continents Hospitality Group Tarek El Sherif has acquired extensive experience of the Middle East’s hospitality sector through senior roles with Millennium & Copthorne Middle East and Rotana Hotels.
El Sherif took up his current role at the helm of V. Five Continents in November 2010 and since then, has strived to raise awareness of the chain, which was established as part of Emirates Associate Business Group in 2007 and specialises in operating alcohol-free hotels that reflect the heritage of Arabian culture.
V. Five Continents currently operates three hotels — Arabian Suites and Khalidia Hotel Apartments in Dubai and Mourouj Hotel Apartments in Abu Dhabi — and has 22 in the pipeline. It has contracts signed for five-star hotels in Egypt and Kuwait (under its five-star brand Palazzo) and is looking at launching properties in Doha, Egypt and Medina.
The company aims to have 15 hotels operational within the next three years, El Sherif told Hotelier.
An Egyptian national and US citizen, El Sherif’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Accounting from Cairo University, Revenue Management Diploma from Hilton College, USA and a Certification in Hospitality Marketing from Cornell.
42 FADI MICHEL MAZKOUR
FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
MENA HOTELS & RESORTS MANAGEMENT
Trained in Lebanon, Fadi Mazkour began his career in Gulf hospitality at the former Forte Grand in Dubai (now Le Méridien) in 1989, and then worked for Crowne Plaza and Rotana, where he took on his first general manager role at the Jumeirah Rotana.
After a period as corporate business development director for Coral International, he moved to his present company in 2008, taking over as regional director of business development and marketing in 2008 with responsibility for the 25-strong hotel division of the Al Hokair Group.
The latter owns and operates hotels, working with brands including Holiday Inn, Golden Tulip, Hilton and Novotel.
After working as area manager and general manager for Golden Tulip Suites & Tulip Inn in Dubai, he was founder of the company’s new hotel management company, MENA Hotels & Resorts.
The first hotel was opened in Riyadh and four properties are currently under development — two in Riyadh, one in Al Khobar and one in Muscat — while plans for the future include expansion to 15 hotels by 2017 with three brands, Mena Grand, Mena Suites and Bayti Suites.
41 SIEGFRIED NIERHAUS
MANAGING DIRECTOR
ATLAS HOSPITALITY
A German national who worked in Geneva, Cannes and Paris prior to arriving in Dubai in 2005 to head up the Radisson Blu Media City, Siegfried Nierhaus is now one year in to his current role as managing director for Atlas Hospitality — a Dubai-based hospitality asset development and management company.
His priority is negotiations on three potential new hotel projects in the UAE — including a three-star hotel in Abu Dhabi — as well as a focus on the development of both new restaurant concepts, such as Certo and Tanija, and importing global franchise names, including French baker Pascal Tepper.
Already, its Certo Italian brand showcased at the Radisson Blu in Dubai has a second outlet in Abu Dhabi and Nierhaus said the aim was to have 10 restaurants across the GCC within five years.
Meanwhile, the group’s flagship Regent Emirates Pearl Hotel is expected to open next year in Abu Dhabi as a joint venture with the emirate’s Tourism Development & Investment Company.
40 CHANTEL MOORE
GENERAL MANAGER, METROPOLITAN HOTEL, SHEIKH ZAYED ROAD
Chantel Moore has worked for Habtoor Hotels for five years and is currently the general manager for The Metropolitan Hotel Dubai.
In this post, she is one of the most senior females in the Habtoor Group and reports directly to the board for Habtoor Hotels, following former Habtoor Hotels’ CEO Rahim Abu Omar’s departure from the group. Further to her busy day-to-day duties, she is a dedicated developer of eco-friendly practices at the property.
Moore joined Habtoor Hotels in 2004 as director of business development for the Metropolitan Hotel and took up the general manager’s role at Metropolitan Palace in 2006. She then moved into head office as international director of sales and marketing.
39 ANTHONY LIDDIARD
CEO, RMAL HOSPITALITY
With 27 years’ experience under his belt with IHG, Anthony Liddiard is a veteran hotelier with an in-depth knowledge of the industry following stints as general manager in Muscat and director of operations for the group’s UAE and Qatar hotels.
In 2006, he joined the newly-minted Rmal Hospitality as chief executive officer, focusing on building a portfolio including properties under ownership and asset management, as well as introducing innovative F&B concepts to the region such as Wagamama, Trader Vic’s, Frankie’s, Marco Pierre White Steak House, Wheeler’s Seafood and Blue Martini, the latter its latest import from Florida.
Following the successful launch of its flagship Fairmont project at Bab Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi, Rmal is now focusing on the Dubai Pearl project, working closely with Starwood Capital and MGM Resorts both in Dubai and at other potential developments worldwide — hotels announced for the site include Baccarat, Bellagio, MGM Grand and Skylofts.
As part of the partnership, a white label hotel operating division is being established to operate and develop new brands, and around 11 properties are expected to be rolled out within 10 years.
38 PAM WILBY
COMPLEX GM, GROSVENOR HOUSE DUBAI AND LE ROYAL MÉRIDIEN BEACH RESORT & SPA
Unlike many hoteliers, Pam Wilby has stayed in one place for some 18 years … while her property and responsibilities have grown around her.
Joining the Forte Grand Jumeira Beach as deputy general manager in April 1993, she took over the managerial reins in 2000, overseeing the hotel’s rebranding as Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa.
Since then, Wilby has taken charge of the Grosvenor House, supervising the project from inception to launch in 2005, and the resulting rebranding as Starwood’s first Luxury Collection property in the UAE.
This year, the hotel will nearly double in size when a twin tower will add 323 rooms, suites and apartments as well as five premier villas to the inventory.
37 SAMI AL-ANSARI
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ISHRAQ GULF REAL ESTATE HOLDING CO.
Sami Al-Ansari is once again recognised for his commitment to diversifying the Middle East’s hotel sector through investment into the InterContinental Hotels Group limited-service brand, Holiday Inn Express.
Ishraq and IHG have four Holiday Inn Express hotels in Dubai, including the 381-room Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport which opened last year, becoming the largest Holiday Inn Express in the EMEA region by a number of rooms.
The company is set to open its first hotel in Bahrain in the fourth quarter this year, Holiday Inn Express Manama, Bahrain, despite this year’s earlier unrest in the country.
Upcoming properties are also signed for Dubai Studio City (300 rooms) and Fujairah (220 rooms), while several other locations in the UAE including hotels in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain are planned, as well as Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan according to the Ishraq website.
Headquartered in Dubai, Ishraq is the exclusive developer of the Express by Holiday Inn hotels brand in the GCC (except Saudi Arabia) and has several other sites which are under various stages of development in Oman, Doha and the UAE. The target is 20-plus hotels within a six-year roll-out plan.
Prior to joining Ishraq as CEO at its inception in 2005, Al-Ansari was the country general manager for Radisson in Jordan for three years. He has also held numerous executive positions in hospitality, including general manager with Holiday Inn Hotels for five years.
36 PETER BLACKBURN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CRISTAL HOTELS AND RESORTS
Following a successful career with hotel chains including InterContinental, Peninsula and Rotana Hotels — with which he opened 23 properties — Peter Blackburn made the bold move in 2006 to set up Cristal Hotels & Resorts.
In the past five years, he has racked up numerous milestones with the group, which currently operates Cristal Hotel Abu Dhabi and will open Cristal Salam Hotel, also in Abu Dhabi, in September this year.
With sustainability one of the core objectives, Cristal Hotel Abu Dhabi was the first hotel in the UAE capital to submit, report and implement the Environment, Health and Safety Management System as per ADTA guidelines.
Blackburn has set ambitious targets for Cristal Group, which plans to increase its portfolio to 25 properties within the next five to 10 years throughout the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Aiming to expand the premier Cristal Hotels & Resorts brand globally, Blackburn recently signed a MoU for a Joint Venture with Rufi Group, one of the largest real estate development companies in Pakistan.
The new joint venture is targeting to open at least 10 contemporary properties in the forthcoming five years in Pakistan ranging from budget to luxury hotels to suit every budget of the discerning travellers.
Cristal Group has also signed joint venture to develop hotels in Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Tanzania.
35 HUSSEIN HATATA
VICE PRESIDENT - HOTELS DIVISION
AL KHOZAMA MANAGEMENT COMPANY
Hussein Hatata has seen a number of successes in his role as vice president of the hotels division at Al Khozama Management Company over the past 12 months.
In July, AKMC announced it will open its first hotel in Al Madinah Al Munawara, Saudi Arabia — The Al Khozama Hotel, Madinah — in October 2011.
Earlier this year, AKMC confirmed a management contract for the five-star Al Faisaliah Hotel, Madinah which is scheduled to open during the second quarter of 2012.
The company currently operates the AKMC-Al Shohada Hotel in Makkah and owns the Hotel Al Khozama and Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh, which are both managed by Rosewood.
At the Al Faisaliah Hotel, a Rosewood Hotel, Hatata this year helped oversee the addition of a new US $50 million South Wing, featuring 106 guest rooms and a 576m² Royal Penthouse.
Hatata has remained dedicated to the hotel industry in Saudi Arabia since starting as a room attendant at Al Khozama Hotel in Riyadh in 1978. By 1990 he was a GM after working his way up the ranks and immersing himself in training, including stints at Lausanne in Switzerland and Cornell University in the US.
34 DARROCH CRAWFORD
MANAGING DIRECTOR
PREMIER INN HOTELS LLC
Racking up an incredible 40 years in the business is Darroch Crawford. Crawford moved to Dubai in August 2006 to spearhead the growth of UK-based Whitbread’s budget brand in the Middle East and since then, has established Premier Inn as one of the strongest contenders in the region’s economy segment.
Parent company Whitbread has recognised this, with Premier Inn Dubai International Airport winning Hotel of the Year in 2011, quite an achievement considering the sizeable UK portfolio and the stringent measurements, from profits to staff turnover, required for the award.
Three hotels are open in Dubai and Premier Inn Abu Dhabi Capital Centre is set to open by November this year. With the Capital Centre hotel now complete, construction on a second property in the emirate will commence shortly and a hotel in Doha is in the design phase.
According to Crawford, the chain has the potential to open a minimum of 25 hotels in Saudi Arabia over the next 10 years. In total, the brand expects to open at least 50 hotels in the GCC and Levant countries over the next decade.
“If we can do 600-plus in the UK then surely we can do 25-plus in a country the size of Saudi Arabia,” Crawford told Hotelier Middle East.
33 David Roberts
Executive vice president operations Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International
New to the Power 50, and entering in at number 33, is Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (FRHI) executive vice president operations Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, David Roberts.
Over the past 12 months, the company has opened properties in Abu Dhabi and Makkah, including the highly anticipated Makkah Clock Royal Tower, a Fairmont Hotel in Saudi Arabia and Swissôtel Makkah is set to open by the end of 2011.
A further five properties around the Middle East are set to open over the next few years, including Fairmont’s second property in Dubai, the Fairmont Palm Jumeirah, a new luxury resort including 36,500ft² of meeting space and a Willow Stream spa.
32 H.E. SHEIKH MUBARAK AL ABDULLA AL MUBARAK AL SABAH
CHAIRMAN, ACTION HOTELS
Since the opening of its first hotel Ibis Salmiya in Kuwait in March 2008, hotel owning company Action Hotels has grown steadily, as a result of the pioneering vision of His Excellency Sheikh Mubarak Al Abdulla Al Mubarak Al Sabah.
Committed to investment in the midscale hotel sector, Sheikh Mubarak is now responsible for five operating properties in Salmiya and Sharq in Kuwait; Muscat, Oman; Amman, Jordan; and Melbourne, Australia, and four under construction — in Muscat, Bahrain, Ras Al Khaimah and Brisbane. In RAK, Action Hotels owns the first IHG flag, a Staybridge Suites.
In total, Action Hotels has a 16 properties’ land bank, Sheikh Mubarak told Hotelier earlier this year, but he is looking at adding a property in the Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia later this year.
When it comes to choosing operators, Action hotels has strategic partnerships with Accor and IHG and a third operator could be on the cards in the future.
31 JOE SITA
PRESIDENT
IFA HOTEL INVESTMENTS
As president of IFA Hotel Investments (IFA HI), Joe Sita has two main responsibilities: to develop the company’s core business of asset management in emerging markets and to manage the growth of Yotel, the new hotel brand that IFA HI parent company IFA Hotels & Resorts owns an 85% stake in.
In May this year, Sita achieved a landmark opening for the company, launching the first city centre Yotel, in New York.
He said there are opportunities for the brand in London and that he is looking for strategic partners to expand Yotel in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Aside from the Yotel arm of the business, Sita remains focused on IFA HI’s core business of asset management in emerging markets.
In 2011, the company will open Mövenpick Jumeirah Lakes Towers and in 2012, will launch the Fairmont Hotel and Residences on The Palm Jumeirah.
Sita first entered the Power 50 in 2009 in his previous position as chief executive officer of Nakheel Hotels, which at the time had accumulated an impressive global hotel property portfolio.