02. Rudi Jagersbacher, President, Middle East & Africa, Hilton Worldwide
Rudi Jagersbacher boasts grass-roots experience, strong relationships, business acumen and a drive to succeed, with a team of more than 21,500 employees, including 69 GMs in 19 MEA countries.
Having been in his role for four years, Jagersbacher continues to enthuse about the company’s growth in the Middle East. With 50 operating properties in the region, there are another 63 in the pipeline, one third of which are in the three- and four-star segment.
Hilton has the largest Qatar pipeline of all hotel groups, with eight planned, including the 445-key Hilton Doha the Pearl Residence.
Jagersbacher commented: “We are confident that our pipeline of eight properties — including the soon-to-open DoubleTree by Hilton Doha Old Town and Hilton Salwa Beach Resort — are well positioned for the increasing number of guests who are eager to visit Qatar.”
Hilton’s mid-market ambitions in the Middle East saw it more than doubling the number of hotels under either its Hilton Garden Inn or Hampton by Hilton brands to 15 in the 12-month period to Q1 2015.
The 420-room Hampton by Hilton Dubai Al Qusais was one of six mid-market hotel projects agreed in 2014/15, and the company is in advanced negotiations for further Hilton Garden Inn properties in the UAE, which will join Hilton Garden Inn Doha, expected to open in 2016.
None of this means to say that Hilton’s other hotel categories are being ignored. The arrival of Curio, A Collection by Hilton in the Middle East, was confirmed with the first agreement in Doha, at the Mall of Qatar — expected to open in 2016.
And among Hilton’s newly operational properties is the DoubleTree by Hilton Doha Old Town — a first for the upscale brand in Qatar.
By the numbers
Number of years in role: 4
Number of years with company: 40
Number of Middle East operating hotels: 50
Number of Middle East pipeline hotels: 63
Number of Qatar hotels: 2
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