PHOTOS: Hotelier Power 50 winners 2015: 41-50
41. Jamal Serhan, CEO Warwick MENA & Vice President, Warwick International Hotels (Last year 43rd)
Four years into his Middle East expansion plans, this CEO is accelerating regional growth.
During his four years at the helm of Warwick MENA, Serhan has initiated the brand’s move into Doha, Baghdad, Dubai, Riyadh, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, and has grown the local workforce to 1800.
The New-York-founded company operates in the Middle East out of two regional offices (in Beirut and Dubai) with 18 operational and support staff, including a director of business development, chief operating officer and a chief marketing officer.
Serhan is accelerating local growth, increasing the number of pipeline properties threefold in the last 12 months, from four to 12. He told Hotelier his priority is to “continue to penetrate the Middle East gateway markets and ramp up our expansion into Africa, India and the sub-continent.”
To do so, he will use his 35-years of industry experience — one third of which has been with Warwick — and draw upon the commitment that comes from the company’s owner-operator focus.
Serhan is a member of the USA & Lebanon Chamber of Commerce, a board member of the South Pacific Hotel Association, and chairman of the TAG Group.
By the number:
Number of years in role: 4
Number of years with company: 24
Number of operating hotels in the Middle East: 8
Number of pipeline hotels in the Middle East: 12
Top inspiration
“Having spent 24 years with Warwick International Hotels, I name Mr Richard Chiu, the company’s president, as the one person I would thank for inspiring me to get to where I am today”
42. Peter Blackburn, President & CEO, Cristal Group (Last year 37th)
Industry veteran Peter blackburn is accumulating Air miles as he flies around the region to oversee new hotel openings for cristal group.
Describing himself as a very hands-on boss, who is always looking to lead by example, Blackburn has led Cristal Group through the downturn to emerge with ambitious plans.
Having established the Abu Dhabi-based company in 2007 just ahead of the recession, he drew on his 25 years of industry experience — 17 of those in the Middle East — to keep the company profitable.
“We suffered some set-backs in 2012 and 2013, which we managed to overcome in 2014. The future now looks bright,” Blackburn tells Hotelier.
A pipeline of 16 hotels in development — the first stage of plans to have 50 hotels across the MENA region by 2020 — means Blackburn is “currently living on a plane overseeing new openings”, while at the same time empowering his team to “improve on our designs and operations through new ideas”.
The company is setting up a new office in Turkey to capitalise on the growth in the country’s hospitality sector, with a target of eight new hotels there within three years. Meanwhile construction is underway for the Cristal Grand Erbil Hotel, the company’s third in Iraq, despite suffering a car bomb attack in the carpark of the Cristal Grand Ishtar in Baghdad in June.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 8.5
Number of years with company: 8.5
Number of operating hotels in the Middle East: 4
Number of pipeline hotels in the Middle East: 16
Top inspiration
“My father”
43. Vincent Miccolis, Area Manager GCC, The Ascott Limited (New entry)
In his first year in charge, Miccolis has restructured and started an aggressive strategy to expand The Ascott’s GCC footprint.
Vincent Miccolis has spent just 12 months as The Ascott’s area manager for the GCC, however, in that time he has led the operator’s regional expansion. As well as building on an existing presence in Dubai, Qatar and Bahrain, Miccolis intends to open a further seven properties in 2015-16 and in doing so, push The Ascott’s footprint into Saudi Arabia and Oman for the first time. The hotel operator is also exploring opportunities in Makkah and Kuwait City.
The Ascott has used a mixture of strategic partnerships, acquisitions, management agreements and franchising to rapidly assemble its regional property portfolio. In the past year, The Ascott has added the Citadines brand, the first of which will open in Jeddah in the next 18 months.
A busy schedule of property openings coincides with the work that Miccolis, an 18-year veteran of the firm, has done to improve the overall regional operations. On starting in the Dubai office, he quickly identified areas to “increase overall efficiencies and results,” he says.
“After completing a full operational analysis, a re-structure was implemented and fully operational within two months of starting in the position,” Miccolis adds.
A crucial element of the restructuring work was an increase in inter-office connectivity.
“Technology will break down geographic and personal barriers and will be present in our [business] units and in the way we work,” he explains.
By the numbers
Number of years in the role: 1
Number of years with the company: 18
Number of operating hotels in the Middle East: 4
Number of pipeline hotels in the Middle East: 11
Top inspiration
“I am a big admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte — a pioneer of strategic thinking. His ability to inspire a shared vision to the whole nation was just astonishing”
44. Hatem Gasmi, Managing Director, Auris Group of Hotels (Last year 44th)
Hatem Gasmi is proud to Lead auris’s portfolio of alcohol-free hotels with both regional presence and international standards of hospitality.
Auris is “getting ready for the digital natives” — the next generation of hotel customers who whose travel decisions are defined by the internet, and who rely on online reputations, real-time access to information, online shopping and safe payments across multiple digital platforms.
Gasmi tells Hotelier: “The vision of our company is to transform a guest’s experience into a digital journey, expressly refined and individually tailored to reflect their choices and offer them a voice in defining the level of service they receive. The travel market is much more than a business, it is a community, and the Auris Group is determined to refine the touchpoints that will transform guests into ambassadors in the digital space.”
The company’s website is a collection of individual webpages for every property. It is regularly updated to post promotions, announcements and other events. To reach a wider audience, Auris Hotels is also on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube, where it aims to introduce the brand to prospective customers and increase awareness.
The Auris story began in 2008 when Gasmi set out to develop a group of multi-brand ‘dry’ hotels and hotel apartments ranging from two-star to five-star. That he did so at the height of the financial crisis and with limited financial resources, makes the company’s success all the more impressive.
“I founded Auris because I believed in the brilliant future of tourism and hospitality in Dubai, the UAE and the region. I did not found a company to last a few years, but to remain forever,” Gasmi says. “My trust and confidence in the regional economic, financial, social and cultural environment were my main motives to establish Auris Hotels.”
As well as the four hotels currently in operation (employing 615 staff), a further 11 are in the pipeline — four in the UAE, four in Saudi Arabia, two in Oman and one in the Sudan. Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia and France are also under consideration in line with the company’s vision to be present in 15 countries by 2020.
With occupancy rates ranging from 75% to 90% and gross operating profit ranging from 40% to 60%, shareholders have enjoyed a seven-times return on capital.
Gasmi reveals that Auris’s growth has necessitated an ongoing improvement process to reinforce the market perception of the group’s ‘Freedom of Choice’ concept — developed to offer guests the opportunity to determine the comfort and luxury they want based on their perception of ‘value for money’.
Thus, while the brand strives to offer a similar setting in all its properties, it provides different facilities, locations and price points to give guests a wide variety of options to choose from. “Our vison is to offer an alternative to traditional look-alike hotels,” Gasmi says.
Auris is the Latin word for ‘ear’ and shares the same roots as the word aurum, which means ‘gold’ — suggesting a propensity to listen to customers and deliver hospitality standards of the highest quality. For Gasmi the management challenge is “leading the company, while building unity in a time of change with direct and open communication”.
“We have stakeholders who contribute to the wheel with every turn — our guests, partners, investors, associates — they all need open, timely and valuable information always,” he says.
By the number:
Number of years in role: 8
Number of years with company: 8
Number of operating hotels in the Middle East: 5
Number of pipeline hotels in the Middle East: 11
Top inspiration
“I am inspired by one of the major voices of moderation and gradualism — Habib Bourguiba. Hence I am a devoted disciple of step-by-step evolution; changing people’s mentality; education and training; and direct communication”
45. Abdulla Bin Sulayem, Chief Executive Officer, Seven Tides (New entry)
The Seven Tides CEO is poised to introduce the Dukes hotel brand to the middle east region.
Abdulla Bin Sulayem, CEO of real estate and hotel developer Seven Tides, is steering the company into new waters. As announced in April 2015 in Hotelier, the firm will evolve into a property operator with the opening of the Dukes Oceana, located on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah.
When opened, the five-star property will boast 273 rooms plus 227 keys housed in an adjacent serviced apartment building.
“Seven Tides currently [has] a very successful relationship with the likes of Minor Hotel Group,” says Bin Sulayem. “However moving forward the company will start to operate properties itself, bringing additional flexibility to the operation,” he adds.
Seven Tides plans to develop other resorts both in the UAE and internationally. The firm already owns the Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa, Mövenpick Hotel Deira and Mövenpick Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel Dubai, as well as the 90-key Dukes Hotel in London. Mid-term plans ‘could’ include adding properties in London and elsewhere in Europe.
“The three-star market also holds a lot of opportunity and this is an area of big potential and something the company will look to capitalise upon going forward,” adds Bin Sulayem.
Close attention to detail has been at the core of Seven Tides’ recent success. Bin Sulayem is closely involved in managing the day-to-day operations, in particular the firm’s new projects. Bin Sulayem’s ‘hands on’ management style means that he regularly undertakes site visits, reviews activity plans and even signs off furniture designs.
His oversight will be needed when Seven Tides attempts to recreate the boutique feeling of the 90-room Dukes Hotel in London on the Palm Jumeirah. Although Dukes Oceana is three times the size of its sister property, it will retain the ‘quintessentially British’ style it is famed for, promises Bin Sulayem.
Rapid growth has been accompanied by financial success. According to Bin Sulayem, the firm has regularly exceeded budget expectations by making sure that “each and every asset” is closely monitored.
By the number:
Number of years in the role: 4
Number of year with the company: 4
Number of operating hotels in the Middle East: 3
Number of pipeline hotels in the Middle East: 1
Top inspiration
“I have closely followed the career of fellow hotelier and entrepreneur, Bill Heinecke, chairman and CEO of Minor International, a firm he started from scratch, and which has 120 hotels globally under such brands as Four Seasons, Marriott, St. Regis and Anantara”
46. Jason Harding, Area Director, Taj Group, and General Manager, Taj Dubai (New entry)
Building on his strengths after progressing from carpenter to hotel group director in 20 years, JASON HARDING is proud of the team he has built at taj group.
Power 50 new entrant Harding arrived at Taj Group — and the newly opened Taj Dubai, the company’s first luxury property in the Middle East — a year ago with a wealth of experience in hospitality businesses in the UK and UAE. A graduate of Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland, he commands an impressive two-decade track record in the industry.
After starting out his career as a carpenter in a London hotel, he has held GM roles at The Palace Old Town and Armani Hotel Dubai, before becoming regional general manager at Armani Hotels & Resorts, where he opened The Burj Club, stabilised hotel operations, improved sales and profit performances and won several awards for the hotels, their spas and outlets.
Taj Dubai is located in Downtown, and features 296 rooms, including Taj Club Rooms, 16 Junior Suites and 15 Luxury Suites with views of the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall. The hotel’s Maharaja Suite, on the 33rd floor, is inspired by palaces in Rajasthan, while the Presidential Suite, which occupies the entire 35th floor, measures 680m² and features its own fitness suite and yoga room.
Harding tells Hotelier he is proud to have put together “such an incredible team” at Taj Dubai in a relatively short amount of time. He says that transparency and clear communication create a strong team that can deliver high levels of customer service, superior attention to detail and an intuitive understanding of quality.
With recruitment sorted, Harding believes “the best is yet to come” for Taj Group. Following the opening of Taj Dubai, he has confirmed three further projects for India’s oldest hotel operator — including the opening of the group’s upscale brand Vivanta by Taj in JLT — and he promises even more announcements in the months to come, in line with his vision to increase the footprint of Taj Group in the Middle East, particularly in the UAE.
He says: “We take immense pride in bringing the 111-year old Taj heritage to Dubai, which is the undisputed hub of business, entertainment, retail and culture in the region, while maintaining the essence of Indian hospitality, so our guests enjoy traditional hospitality in the midst of an urban, contemporary and luxurious haven.”
A member of the Master Innholders, a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and a Freeman of the City of London, Harding’s business philosophy is to “build on our strengths, remain humble and always be willing to learn from each other”.
Outside work, Harding is passionate about fitness and competed in Ironman Western Australia in December 2014. Fondly known as “Mr Boot Camp” for his passion for workouts and mental toughness, he said: “Personally, I truly believe that if your goals don’t intimidate you, then they aren’t big enough, and I deeply respect people who go out and achieved their goals, whatever they may be.”
Despite his tough-guy reputation, Harding also nevertheless enjoys his downtime, and particularly loves traveling and exploring new destinations.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 1
Number of years with company: 1
Number of operating hotels in the Middle East: 2
Number of pipeline hotels in the Middle East: 3
Top inspiration
“Professionally, I look up to Mohamed Alabbar, the chairman of Emaar, and Sir Rocco Forte, the chairman of Rocco Forte Hotels”
47. Philippe Harb, Chief Operating Officer and Partner, One to One Hotels & Resorts (Last year 48th)
One to One Hotels & Resorts targets growth from the Saudi Arabian market.
Since reversing the ailing fortunes of One to One Hotels & Resorts shortly after his arrival, Philippe Harb, chief operating officer and partner, has embarked on an aggressive growth strategy. In four years One to One has grown from two just properties, to having 17 in the pipeline spread across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.
One to One Hotels & Resorts makes its Saudi Arabian debut later this year, opening four properties in Makkah and Jeddah in the second half of 2015.
Harb is plotting further expansion in the Kingdom, with MOUs signed and management agreements in negotiation for another four properties. To support its expansion, the firm has also opened a dedicated sales and marketing office in Jeddah.
“With the continued growth in business and religious tourism, we entered [Saudi Arabia] to strengthen our leadership position with [four] properties in Makkah and Jeddah, with the first due to open early this year, prior to Ramadan. Religious tourism is extremely important for our growth and presence in the market,” Harb explains.
Aside from One to One’s plans for Saudi Arabia, the brand is expanding its footprint in Qatar and Kuwait. Harb has signed MOUs for properties in both markets and management agreements are being negotiated.
The hotel operator, which is targeting a chain of 25 hotels through a mixture of hotel management contracts, development and acquisitions in the near future, has also extended its reach into North Africa and Asia. Before the end of this year, One to One Hotels & Resorts will have four properties in Thailand, mainly based in Koh Samui and Ko Phangan.
One to One is also adding to its collection of resorts in Morocco. A second Wellness Resort is due to open in Tetouan in the second quarter of 2016.
“It is easy to have ideas, but it’s hard to turn ideas into profit,” says Harb. “Instead of focusing on new construction that could take two to three years, the emphasis has been on converting existing properties and expanding,” he adds. For the properties that One to One Hotels & Resorts has taken over, the firm developed a re-positioning plan for each property.
“We brought in One to One Hotels & Resorts and branched out through the introduction of various brands, whereby each brand has the guest in mind,” comments Harb.
The turnaround story at One to One isn’t just about rapid growth. Harb has also improved the financial performance of the company; increasing RevPar by 10% and gross operating profit by 31%.
The improved financial performance and growth has been achieved with an acute focus on the customer base. “It is important to analyse our customers and understand their needs to be able to cater to them and gain their loyalty,” says Harb.
“Customer and staff engagement have also been crucial in sustaining the company’s image and ensuring healthy growth of the company,” he adds.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 2
Number of years with the company: 4
Number of operating hotels in the Middle East: 5
Number of pipeline of hotels in the Middle East: 6
Top inspiration
“I look to Starwood Hotel & Resorts’ Frits Van Paascchen for inspiration. He was responsible for introducing the W brand”
48. Daousser Chennoufi, Concept Creator and Partner, Hues Hotels & Resorts (New entry)
Hues Hotels & Resorts targets ‘new’ hotel concepts to go with its existing ones.
Hues Hotels & Resorts has continued to expand its operational footprint in the UAE. The hospitality management company is currently operating Hues Boutique Hotel in Dubai and the Sharjah-based 72 by Hues. It intends to open a further two properties in the near future, including a second hotel in Sharjah and Hues Fujairah Resort.
“As a boutique hotel brand in the Middle East, Hues Hotels & Resorts offers a different perspective on luxury for the modern traveller,” says Daousser Chennoufi, concept creator and partner for Hues Hotels & Resorts, and chairman and key architect for Draw Link Group.
The last 12 months have also seen Hues expand its business into Belarus; along with the opening its initial property in Minsk.
The firm, which is jointly owned by Bin Suloom Group, architecture and design firm Draw Link and Tierramar Management Consultancy, has constantly put boutique hotel design at the forefront of its offering.
“Cutting edge interior design is an integral part of the Hues Hotels & Resorts success,” says Chennoufi. “We started the brand from scratch with Hues Boutique Hotel, and after three successful years of operation have managed not only to open the second hotel, but to get several industry awards,” he adds.
The operator’s hotel concepts have gathered accolades, including a 2014 Trip Advisor Traveller’s Choice Award for the Hues Boutique Hotel, while the 72 by Hues won Best five-Star Hotel at the Sharjah Tourism Excellence Awards.
Chennoufi, the creative driving force behind the Draw Link Group and the look and feel of the Hues Hotels has extensive architectural and interior design experience. The Draw Link Group is an architectural, interior design and fit out firm, which specialises primarily in hospitality projects.
Hues Hotels follows a design orientated approach, which has helped establish the firm’s boutique hotel credentials. It also gives the group a unique selling point in the cut-throat hospitality market. “Hues Hotels & Resorts offers a different perspective on luxury for the modern traveller,” claims Chennoufi.
During 2014, Hues Hotels & Resorts revamped its food and beverage offering in the Hues Boutique Hotel, increasing revenue and introducing some unique design concepts to the local market.
Chennoufi is constantly on the look out for new ideas and hotel business best practices that can be embraced by the fledgling hotel chain. Consequently, Hues has started integrating sustainable business practises throughout its operations.
“I try to keep up with the latest innovations appearing within the industry, and apply them to the hotels we have, starting from the eco-friendly, contemporary and practical materials we use and ending up with the outlets, that have been developed with their own identity, adding value for guests looking for a new kind of lifestyle hospitality concept,” explains Chennoufi.
The hospitality management firm further plans to develop different hotel concepts from two-to five-stars, orientated at ‘back-pack’ travellers, “who still would love to visit the UAE and have a great hotel stay, with all the luxury facilities, but cannot afford it”, says Chennoufi.
“Therefore, we would love to bring to the UAE smart luxury hotels of mid-scale range that would allow all kinds of tourists to visit one of the world’s leading tourists countries,” he adds.
By the numbers
Number of years in the role: 4
Number of years with the company: 4
Number of operating hotels in the Middle East: 2
Number of pipeline hotels in the Middle East: 2
Top inspiration
Hotelier, entrepreneur and real estate developer, Ian Schrager has always impressed Chennoufi. From creating Studio 54 and Palladium in the 1970s (while making a fortune and going to jail) to the starting and building the Morgans Hotel Group, that essentially defined the boutique hotel concept, Schrager helped define the ways we “live our lives”
49. Paul Arnold, Vice President Development — Europe, Middle East & Africa, Rosewood Hotels & resorts (New entry)
Rosewood Hotels & resorts focuses on building ultra-luxury business throughout the EMEA region.
The amicable divorce with Saudi-based Al Khozama Management Company reduced the footprint of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts in the region from four properties to just two; albeit both high-end luxury properties — the Rosewood Abu Dhabi and the Rosewood Jeddah.
However, as the hotel operator’s president Radha Arora and Hotel Group CEO Sonia Cheng were at pains to point out in an interview with Hotelier in January 2014, having the most hotel rooms, biggest ballroom or the most extravagant suite are not objectives for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts.
“Our philosophy is not to grow by quantity [against] other brands. What we are trying to do is create a collection of hotels that, while sizeable, doesn’t grow for the sake of growing,” remarked Cheng at the time.
“The success of Rosewood isn’t defined by how big it grows, but by the following we can create around the brand,” she added.
That said, the company does now plan to add a property in Dubai, while also extending its European reach with properties in London, Paris and Tuscany.
Leading Rosewood’s EMEA expansion strategy is Paul Arnold, vice president of development, Europe, Middle East and Africa and a veteran who has been with the company for four years.
“Quite simply, our vision is for Rosewood to be regarded as one of the world’s most respected, ultra-luxury hotel groups,” says Arnold.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 4
Number of years with the company: 4
Number of operating hotels in the Middle East: 2
Number of pipeline of hotels in the Middle East: 1
Top inspiration
“I have been inspired in my career by my father”
50. Vardaraj Shetty, Chairman & Managing Worker, Ramee Group of Hotels & Resorts (Last year 32nd)
Ramee Group puts developing five-star hotels at the top of its agenda.
Ramee Group of Hotels & Resorts has come a long way since opening Dubai’s first hotel.
The group, which currently has more than 35 properties across the Middle East and an additional three in development, is an undisputed, home-grown hospitality success story.
According to Shetty, chairman & managing worker, the firm is now “looking at possibilities of opening hotels in Qatar”.
Geographical expansion will go hand-in-hand with plans to compete in the five-star market space and “work for excellence”, he adds.
The hotel and managed apartment operating company, which also has a substantial business in India, is looking to improve its environmental credentials and streamline its business operations in 2015.
“We are trying to make foolproof standard operating procedures, trying to optimise profits and [make] cost savings wherever required without hampering the quality and operational aspects,” says Shetty.
By the number:
Number of years in role: 25
Number of years with the company: 25
Number of operating hotels in the Middle East: 35
Number of pipeline hotels in the Middle East: 3
Top inspiration
“I look no further than my father, who gave me values and preached that to come up I have to work hard and give my best”