Alila CEO reveals plans to open 5-8 hotels in ME

Alila Hotels & Resorts CEO Frederic Flageat-Simon has outlined plans for the Alila brand to open another five to eight hotels across the Middle East.

The news comes in the lead up to the company’s first venture into the Middle East with the opening of Jabal Akhdar in Oman in April. The operator hopes that the property, developed in partnership with Omran, will make a name for Alila in the region and catch the eye of local developers for future projects.

Speaking exclusively to Hotelier Middle East, Alila CEO Frederic Flageat-Simon commented: “Brand building is our biggest challenge, our brand isn’t very well known. We’ve turned down five projects already in the Middle East because we didn’t feel that those projects were in line with our brand. In the foreseeable future I’d be really happy if we had a collection of five to eight hotels in the Middle East that are what Alila really stands for.”

Flageat-Simon is confident about the success of the Jabal Akhdar property and is in discussion with Omran about future projects in the region.