Sami Nasser, Senior Vice President Operations, Middle East, Africa & India (MEAI), FRHI Hotels & Resorts
09. Sami Nasser, Senior Vice President Operations, Middle East, Africa & India (MEAI), FRHI Hotels & Resorts
FRHI was taken over by AccorHotels in mid-July this year, but Sami Nasser is busy with imminent openings and new signings in new territories
FRHI Hotels & Resorts senior vice president, operations, MEAI, Sami Nasser has a vision to double the operator’s portfolio by 2020. And with 19 live properties, and 20 in the pipeline, this is an achievable goal.
Openings for FRHI Hotels & Resorts within the next six months include Swissôtel Al Maqam in Makkah (1,624 keys), the company’s flagship in Jordan, Fairmont Amman (opening December 2016), Fairmont Fujairah (opening January 2016) and Fairmont Riyadh (opening December 2016). Other properties set to open include the Raffles Jeddah, Swissôtel Jeddah and Swissôtel Al Khobar.
Earlier this year, the company also signed the 240-key Fairmont Al Khobar, currently in development and set to open in 2020, as well as the second Swissôtel property in Makkah, Swissôtel Al Maqam, due to open in September 2016.
Within Egypt, the development team has expanded beyond three Fairmont hotels in downtown Cairo and Heliopolis with the first tri-branded (Fairmont, Raffles, Swissôtel) project in Sharm El Sheikh, consisting of over 1,000 guestrooms and suites between the three hotels, the world’s largest manmade Crystal Lagoon, a retail promenade and boardwalk, and an 18-hole Colin Montgomerie golf course.
Moreover, earlier this year, FRHI announced a Fairmont hotel in Soma Bay, a popular tourist resort destination along the Red Sea in Hurghada and a Swissôtel in Katameyah, referred to as the ‘New’ Cairo.
Brand equity within the UAE has gone from strength to strength, with five operational hotels to-date and the inclusion of two more Fairmont properties in Abu Dhabi as well as Fairmont Fujairah, which will open next year.
Continuing to focus on quality as with last year, Nasser championed and formed a dedicated quality committee at the regional office consisting of Nadine Yetinger, director, operations & hotel openings; Stuart Nielsen, vice president, food & beverage, and Bastien Blanc, vice president sales and marketing.
“Together we have put in a systematic process including the following - constant follow-up through a digital platform, monthly review of performance with general managers, and the implementation of key strategic actions per hotel (four regional level targets and three hotel level targets),” Nasser tells Hotelier.
By the numbers:
3 Number of years in role
3 Number of years with company
19 Number of Middle East operating hotels
20 Number of Middle East pipeline hotels
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