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.
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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.
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