Ròya International chief executive officer Ahmed Ramdan, renowned as much for his brutal honesty as he is his spectacular achievements, speaks exclusively to Hotelier Middle East about the state of the hospitality industry and the road to recovery
Showing Hotelier Middle East around the cool, contemporary Ròya International offices located within the Shangri-La Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road — one of the company’s Al Jaber-owned success stories — Ahmed Ramdan exudes not only passion for his hospitality projects but a genuine warmth for those with whom he works.
His pride in his achievements at Ròya, the company he founded in 1998, is clearly evident, but without any of the ego that might be expected of someone that delivers projects for some of the UAE’s most powerful businessmen and government bodies.
But putting the gentle smile and approachable façade aside, it is clear that Ramdan is not a man that takes no for an answer. He confesses to being both “brutally honest” and brutal in his work ethic; demonstrating the attitude that has enabled him to lead the company to achieve significant feats — most famously the opening of Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri Abu Dhabi within 21 months.
And he is set to smash this target with the opening later this year of Talal Liwa Hotel in Liwa, Abu Dhabi, which Ròya International is project managing from start to finish within just nine-months.
At the same time, there is also the imminent opening of Media One Hotel in Dubai Media City, which Ròya has been driving since taking on the asset management for owner — and regular Ròya client — Al Jaber Group.
Securing repeat business is of vital importance to Ramdan, who claims that “90% of our business belongs to 20% of clients”. Modestly, he adds “that’s a good sign”.
So, how has Ramdan established such a loyal client base?
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He describes himself simply as a “rounded hotelier,” following a 20-year global hotel career with InterContinental Hotels Group — which he chose over the family business
Since then setting up his own business, which was small at first and has “evolved as the UAE has evolved”, Ramdan has been a pioneer in several ways — from bringing consultancy services to hospitality businesses in the UAE at a time when third-party support was unheard of through to continually championing the industry by working on projects in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority to modernise and streamline certain facilities and amenities.
This unfaltering commitment to the development of the hospitality industry in the Middle East is an contributing factor to Ramdan’s success, indeed earning him a top position at number 11 on the Hotelier Middle East Power 50 earlier this year.
His eye for detail and no-nonsense approach is also valued by clients. Pouring over proofs of upcoming projects, Ramdan comments on everything from the building structure to the smallest detail. He will advise on everything from changing the design of an “ugly” mega-tower to altering a guest room wall-unit that would be a nightmare to clean and cause headaches for housekeeping.
Once the design is finalised, that’s it says Ramdan — the company will work round-the-clock to get the job done, something that doesn’t happen often enough anywhere in the world, he asserts.
“We spend a little bit of time in good planning and then we roll like mad like a bulldozer, nothing stops us,” said Ramdan.
And his opinion is one spoken “with confidence not emotion”, because of his years of experience combined within the 52 Ròya “brains” — architects, engineers and construction experts to name a few.
So, what view does such an industry stalwart have of the current hospitality market in the UAE? And what are his predictions for the future?
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