40. Philippe Harb, Chief Operating Officer and Partner, One to One Hotels & Resorts
The COO is set to turn this company’s fortunes around
Phillipe Harb and his team have had their hands full, as the group now operates 15 hotels across the Middle East and North Africa. It successfully rebranded the Ramada in Ras Al Khaimah under its One to One banner, while on the way to registering a 60% rise in managed assets.
The story for Harb and One to One has been a positive one, having turned around the fortunes of a company that managed just two properties, and was on the verge of closing down. A renewed strategy has seen the group announce four new projects in KSA (having announced and opened four hotels in the last 12 months). Harb says: “We are looking to have 50 hotels by end of 2018.” A couple of them are slated for a 2017 opening.
In 2017, One to One will debut in Morocco and add four properties in Lebanon within the next 12 months.
Harb is, however, particularly pleased with the progress he and the company has made in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“This year in particular, I have doubled the number of rooms, and therefore, doubled the company’s portfolio, by adding 920 rooms in KSA,” Harb comments.
Harb has taken notice of healthy eating trends amongst its guests and has capitalised by cultivating its own produce. “Today, about half of the produce of vegetables used at One to One hotels in the UAE comes from our green houses in Al Ain. The cultivated land spans 3,000m2 in greenhouses that grow cucumbers, variegated eggplants, tomatoes potatoes, marrow and others. Most of the produce goes directly to our restaurants.”
By the numbers
4 Number of years in the role
5 Number of years with company
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