13 Phil Kasselis

Deal junkie and fourth generation hotelier Phil Kasselis is the man responsible for clinching InterContinental Hotels Group’s (IHG) largest project in the Middle East at Dubai Festival City.

He says: “I love looking at new hotel development opportunities, expanding existing owner relationships or developing new ones with potential investors who share the same vision as IHG. During my first year in Dubai, I managed to sign a record number of deals. Each subsequent year I’ve led a great team to grow our development pipeline with new record signings being achieved”.

Kasselis has held his key role at one of the Middle East’s largest hotel groups — IHG has 72 hotels across the region, including its first property in the Middle East, the InterContinental Phoenicia Beirut in Lebanon, which opened in 1961 –— since 2000 and his successes mean respect for Kasselis spreads industry-wide.

Previous roles include director — hotel investments at hotel brokerage firm Knight Frank Expotel, development manager with Accor Asia Pacific and a total of eight years at hospitality consulting firms Arthur Andersen and Horwarth and Horwarth.

Although he worked for some time in hotel operations, Kasselis has always been more interested in hotel development and finance, although if he were not in this business, the France-born hotelier says he would be a photographer for National Geographic!