PHOTOS: Hotelier Power 50 2015 winners: 21-30
21. Laurent A. Voivenel, Chief Executive Officer, Hospitality Management Holdings (Last year 22nd)
Hospitality Management Holdings aims FOR double-digit growth by 2020, with Voivenel overseeing key expansion plans.
Currently, Hospitality Management Holdings (HMH) operates 17 hotels spread across the Middle East and Africa, and the group has four more in the pipeline for the region, having recently expanded into Oman, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. Over the last 12 months, HMH has refreshed the identity of Coral Hotels & Resorts, giving the four-star brand a fresh lease of life. The planned launch of Ecos, the budget-friendly B&B style brand, is also on track, with the first properties to open shortly. “We want it to be the most budget hotel [brand] in Dubai, but managed with international standards,” says Voivenel.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 2
Number of years with company: 2
Number of operating hotels in the middle east: 17
Number of Middle East pipeline hotels: 4
Top inspiration
“Bill Hurley, who was my boss when I was in my early thirties, advised me to take my job seriously but not myself. It is since then that I have discovered my path to success,” says Voivenel.
22. Ziad El Chaar, Managing Director, Damac Hotels & Resorts (New entry)
Damac’s Ziad El Chaar replaces Shaun Langdon on the Power 50 list, as he bids to guide the firm’s surge into the hospitality sector.
Just three years after the launch of the company’s hospitality arm, Damac Hotels & Resorts has five operational hotel apartment buildings, and 10,000 units confirmed in the pipeline, with many more under negotiation. At the helm of parent company Damac Properties is managing director El Chaar, who has been the driving force behind the hospitality division’s successful launch.
The firm’s aggressive expansion saw Damac Maison The Vogue, and the debut property of new brand Naia Hotels & Resorts, Naia Breeze, added to the collection at the end of March. These contributed 500 rooms to the existing portfolio, which comprised the December-launched Damac Maison Cour Jardin; Damac Maison Canal Views, which made its debut in October last year; and the original Damac Maison Dubai Mall Street, which opened its doors in December 2013.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 4
Number of years with company: 10
Number of Middle East operating properties: 5
Number of Middle East pipeline properties: 20
Fun Fact
Ziad El Chaar graduated with a degree in biology in 1990.
23. Ibrahim Barghout, Area Vice President, Middle East & Africa, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company (Last year 24th)
Ibrahim Barghout took over office 18 months ago, and currently oversees the operations of eight regional properties in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Focusing on the expansion of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in the Middle East, Barghout has introduced a number of measures to improve operational efficiency.
“I saw the opportunity to realign regional operational resources at an above-property level, so that new property teams are ready for pre-openings,” comments Barghout.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 2
Number of years with company: 33
Number of Middle East operating properties: 8
Number of Middle East pipeline properties: 2
Top inspiration
“I credit every ounce of my success to my wife. My career would be a struggle had she not supported me throughout my years of hectic schedules and travel itineraries”
24. Adam Nicholls, Managing Director Middle East/Africa, Premier Inn Hotels LLC (New entry)
Adam Nicholls debuts in the Hotelier Middle East Power 50 this year, having taken over from Darroch Crawford just months ago.
In March 2015, Adam Nicholls was appointed as the successor to Darroch Crawford, taking over the reins as managing director MEA of Premier Inn, and based in Dubai.
Just a few months into his tenure, he oversaw the opening of Premier Inn Sharjah, the UK-based operator’s first hotel in the emirate. He will also be at the helm of an additional seven hotels comprising 1331 mid-market rooms in four countries, spread over six cities — Doha, Jeddah, Jubail, Muscat, Sharjah and Dubai. This includes Dubai’s Premier Inn Ibn Battuta Mall — which will have the brands’s largest key count outside of the UK at 372 rooms when it opens in 2016 — and the Premier Inn Qatar Airport.
By the numbers
Number of months in role: 6
Number of years with company: 13
Number of Middle East operating PROPERTIES: 5
Number of Middle East pipeline PROPERTIES: 7
Fun Fact
Nicholls’ first regional management role was with Compass Airport Retailing, before he joined Whitbread in 2002 as GM of Premier Inn Bristol Haymarket
25. Dr Badr Al Badr, Chief Executive Officer, Dur Hospitality (New entry)
It has been a busy year for Dur Hospitality, with the group introducing a new brand identity, signing a master franchise agreement for the first time, and announcing a US $400 million investment in new projects.
Dur Hospitality, under the leadership of Dr Badr Al Badr will invest SAR 1.5 billion (US $400mn) in developing three- and four-star hotels and luxury residential complexes, to achieve a planned portfolio of 20 hotels and six residential properties in the next seven years in KSA. With the company’s rebrand from Saudi Hotels & Resorts to Dur Hospitality completed in November 2014, Al Badr told Hotelier the group will have a more streamlined approach with the focus firmly on hotel development and operations, as well as residential properties.
“The market has undergone a whole transformation during these years,” said Al Badr, explaining the firm’s rebrand. “When we started 40 years ago, we were the pioneers and the demand was not comparable to today. Things today are totally different. We needed to evolve to catch up with the market from one side. From the other side we saw an opportunity to beat the market.”
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 3.5
Number of years with company: 3.5
Number of Middle East operating properties in the middle east : 10
Number of Middle East pipeline hotels in the middle east : 5
Top inspiration
Commenting on his father, his greatest inspiration, Al Badr says: “Upon knowing he is my father, [people] would often say: ‘I owe my success to him’. For over a decade, he was an educator and a leader at the main university in Riyadh. People would tell me he went out of his way to help them succeed when they were troubled students. I learned from him the lasting effects of helping people and the benefits of giving second chances”
26. Anton Bawab, Regional President, Viceroy Hotel Group (Last year 20th)
Anton Bawab is currently based at Viceroy’s Abu Dhabi office, and is leading the team as it prepares for its two forthcoming key openings — Viceroy Dubai Palm Jumeirah, and Viceroy Dubai Jumeirah Village.
With more than 50% of construction now complete on Viceroy’s Palm property, the US $1bn hotel is on track to open in 2016.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 5
Number of years with company: 5
Number of Middle East operating hotels: 1
Number of Middle East pipeline hotels: 3
27. David Grant Thomson, Chief Operating Officer, JA Resorts & Hotels (Last year 23rd)
JA Resorts & Hotels, previously known as Jebel Ali International Hotels, formally rebranded after a strategic development plan in 2012, which was also the year that David Grant Thomson took over as Chief Operating Officer.
JA Resorts & Hotels is racing full steam ahead with a keen eye on international expansion. The group launched its first international property outside the UAE with Enchanted Island Resort in December 2013 in the Seychelles. JA Manafaru marked the second international property in the Indian Ocean and was launched in November 2014.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 3
Number of years with company: 14
Number of Middle East operating hotels: 5
Number of Middle East pipeline hotels: 3
Fun Fact
David Grant Thomson supports various charities, and even shaved his head last year to raise money for a school for underprivileged children
28. Thierry Douin, Vice President, operations – Dusit International (Last year 31st)
Thierry Douin has had a successful year, being promoted to vice president, operations for the Thailand-based operator.
Dusit International this year announced the introduction of its trendy lifestyle brand DusitD2 to the Middle East, with a number of properties confirmed. When it opens in 2016, DusitD2 Tecom, Dubai will comprise 235 guest rooms and feature two restaurants, a lobby lounge, fitness centre, swimming pool, and spa. A second D2 property — the DusitD2 Residence Al Manzel Abu Dhabi — will open in the UAE capital’s commercial district in January 2016. The serviced residence property will offer 216 units with a business centre, meeting facilities, two restauarants, a health centre, pool and sauna.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 2.5
Number of years with company: 2.5
Number of Middle East operating hotels: 5
Number of Middle East pipeline hotels: 5
29. Hussein Ali Hatata, Vice President — hospitality division, Al Khozama Management Company (Last year 29th)
Hussein Ali Hatata has almost four decades of experience in the hospitality industry and is in charge of the hotels division at Al Khozama, a property development, management and investment company owned by the King Faisal Foundation among other stakeholders.
Hatata began his career with Al Khozama at Hotel Al Khozama in Riyadh in 1978 and has worked his way up through the ranks. In his current role, which he has held since 2005, Hatata has played an active role in driving the group’s ambitious expansion strategy into key cities across Saudi Arabia, with a target of 5000 rooms within major Saudi cities in the next 10 years. Al Khozama currently owns and operates nine properties in the Kingdom, with four others in the pipeline.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 10
Number of years with company: 37
Number of Middle East operating hotels: 8
Number of Middle East pipeline hotels: 5
Fun Fact
Like many hoteliers in the Power 50, Hussein Ali Hatata attended a hospitality management school in Switzerland.
30. Mohamed Ahmed Awadalla, Chief Executive Officer, TIME Hotels Management (Last year 26th)
Since taking over as CEO, Mohamed Awadalla has been instrumental in Time Hotels’ entry into three key regional markets.
Since the inception of Time Hotels in 2012, the UAE-founded brand now has a presence with its three sub-brands, in the UAE, Egypt and Qatar, and will be operational in Saudi Arabia by 2016.
Time Hotels currently operates 12 properties under four different brands in the UAE and Egypt. Four- and five-star properties trade under the Time Hotels & Resorts brand, three-star hotels under the Time Express brand, furnished apartments under the Time Hotel Apartments brand, and both furnished and unfurnished residential apartments under Time Residence.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 3
Number of years with company: 8
Number of operating hotels in the Middle east: 12
Number of pipeline hotels in the middle east: 5