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Selim El Zyr
president and CEO, Rotana
The head of regional powerhouse Rotana, Selim El Zyr, bags third place in the Power 50 2010. Although it is a drop from last year’s top spot, 2010 has been another very strong year for Rotana.
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Under El Zyr’s leadership, the company has achieved several new milestones over the past 12 months: the launch of its first ‘essential-service’ business-focused Centro brand, first in Abu Dhabi at Yas Island and then in Al Barsha, Dubai; the opening of the world’s tallest hotel, Rose Rayhaan by Rotana in Dubai; and the opening of Oryx Rotana, the firm’s first in Doha.
Other new openings have included the long-awaited Amwaj Rotana at Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai, and the Park Rotana complex in Abu Dhabi, while due to open imminently are Centro Sharjah Airport and the 443-room Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana. By the end of the year Rotana will also open the Nour Ajaan by Rotana in Fujairah; its second hotel in Doha, City Centre Rotana; and its first in Iraq, the Erbil Rotana, while just last month Rotana signed the first two Centro hotels in Saudi Arabia in partnership with the Elegant Hotels Group.
Speaking to Hotelier back in May, El Zyr said business was sustainable and that Rotana was “still very profitable as a company”. He said that in Dubai, despite the downturn, occupancy for the first four months of 2010 was up on the same period in 2009, and that its hotels in markets such as Lebanon, Syria and Egypt had proved extremely resilient.
The company has stayed true to scheduled opening dates and now operates more than 42 properties in 18 cities in 10 countries, including managing more hotels in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the northern emirates than any other operator.
By the end of 2014, Rotana will operate 70 properties across the Middle East and North Africa with the number of rooms totalling 19,288.
Upcoming plans pursue the growth of the Centro and Rayhaan brands, as well as a joint venture with Orascom and Shuaa to manage five Centro by Rotana properties in Egypt. Another agreement, with Shuaa Capital Saudi Arabia, will see the company develop 17 hotels across Saudi Arabia.
The upturn of all of this is that Rotana is well on its way to achieving El Zyr’s strategic aim to have a property in every key city in the Middle East.
“Rotana is working towards the opening of 25 ‘Centro Hotels by Rotana’ properties across the MENA Region by 2014, introducing a unique out-of-the-box solution for the mid-tier market”, concluded El Zyr.
On a personal note, El Zyr received an honorary doctorate of Business Administration in Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University.
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