Jumeirah appoints new VP of development for MEASA

Jumeirah Group has appointed Aboudi Asali as senior vice president development for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA).

He takes over the role from Cherif Hosny, who left the Dubai-based operator in August to join Meraas Holding as chief hospitality officer.

The British national has more than twenty years’ hospitality experience, including senior appointments in the Middle East and Europe.

Asali began his hospitality career in the USA and Saudi Arabia and worked as a hospitality consultant until 2002. He then joined Marriott International as vice president international lodging development and was in charge of structuring a development team for the Middle East, where he negotiated and signed management agreements for more than 40 hotels, comprising 10,000 rooms, including the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai.

Since 2012, Asali has run Aprio Hotel Advisory Services, advising hotel owners and developers in the EMEA region on operator selection and contract negotiations. Recent projects he has advised on include the InterContinental Dubai Marina and Sheraton Juba, South Sudan, as well as operators such as Steigenberger Hotels and Morgans Group.

In his new role, Asali will drive Jumeirah’s expansion plants across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

Commenting on Asali’s appointment, Jumeirah Group chief development officer Robert Swade said: “Jumeirah’s growth strategy is focused on expansion in MEASA and Asia in particular. Aboudi’s extensive experience of the market in the MEASA region and his engagement in some of the most significant recent deals gives Jumeirah an unrivalled opportunity to attract a wide range of potential development partners and build up a strong pipeline of future openings.”

The group currently operators 22 hotels and has management agreements to operate a further 17 properties which are currently under development. These include eight in the MEASA region – two in Muscat, Oman; two in Marrakech, Morocco; and one each in Abu Dhabi, UAE; Aqaba, Jordan; Mumbai, India; and Mauritius.