Rocco Forte appoints new regional sales director

Rocco Forte Hotels has boosted its Middle East sales team with the appointment of Nader Hamarna as regional director of sales - Middle East.

The company said in a statement that the additional sales role had been created in direct response to growing demand for the company’s product across the region, in part stimulated by the arrival of the Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi last year.

Abu Dhabi-based Nader is specifically tasked to manage and grow the outbound leisure business from the Middle East to Rocco Forte’s European hotels, as well as maintain and develop corporate individual, meetings and incentives across the region.

His role complements fellow Middle East regional director of sales, Adel Soukah, who will continue to be responsible for developing individual personal travel and diplomatic business. Both positions report to Richard Bousfield, Rocco Forte Hotels’, regional director of sales for the UK & Middle East.

Commenting on Nader’s appointment, Bousfield said: “The Middle East is a vitally important market for our company with travellers from this part of the world already making up a significant proportion of business at our European properties and our new Abu Dhabi hotel.

“With further expansion planned over the next two years, it is vitally important that we have the resources and expertise in place to service our customers and grow our business. Nader has a great blend of hospitality expertise and market knowledge which will prove invaluable in supporting our strategic objectives in this key territory.”

UAE-born Nader brings more than eight years Middle Eastern hotels sales experience to the job, having previously held senior regional sales roles with Marriot global sales in the UAE, and most recently was director of business travel, in charge of corporate and group segments for The Ritz Carlton, Dubai.

Rocco Forte Hotels is set to grow its Middle East portfolio when it opens a new luxury hotel in Jeddah, featuring 146 rooms, 63 suites and around 50 serviced apartments.
Elsewhere, the company plans to expand into North Africa, with openings planned in Marrakech, Cairo and Luxor.