The "right time, right place" mantra has always been complete nonsense to me. It treats humans like logical machines, as if only the left side of their brain exists, ignoring emotion and gut feeling, which is what ultimately drives decisions.
If the real question is about skills, mindset, and capabilities, then here's my take: Skills: a Revenue Manager today must think strategically, not just tactically. Revenue management is about defining where the business should go in terms of product and revenue in the next 3–5 years.
A broader skill set — especially in marketing — is becoming increasingly beneficial. Since specialized tasks can now be handled perfectly by AI, commercial roles are moving closer together. This shift makes broad, cross-functional skills more important than ever.
The Revenue Manager we need today looks very different from the one many hotels still have in place. The role can no longer be defined by Excel spreadsheets and static reports. The markets move too fast, the data is too complex, and the opportunities are too big to leave in the hands of manual processes.
Renowned for its bold spaces and unscripted service, Naumi Hotels brings its signature hospitality experience to Dubai. Now open, the hotel was recently acquired by Naumi Group and advised by SunStar Capital, the family-owned wealth management and asset company founded by Executive Chairman Surya Jhunjhnuwala, and is operated by Naumi Hotels, led by Group CEO Gaurang Jhunjhnuwala.
The latest travel data reveals a surge in Saudis’ interest in destinations during the Summer 2025 season. Search and booking volumes recorded notable increases for both local and international cities, alongside clear accommodation preferences and practical rate trends that can inform end-of-summer and early-autumn plans, making this period rich with travel opportunities that reflect travelers’ passion for discovery and diverse experiences.
Absolute Hotel Services Middle East & Africa is delighted to announce the signing of a management agreement with Akam Al Rajhi Development for 60 exclusive beachfront units under the U Hotels & Resorts brand, set to open in 2026 on Egypt's Mediterranean coast.
This week, the HFTP and the HFTP Dubai chapter successfully hosted an event at the Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah on September 23. The gathering brought together 87 hospitality leaders from across Dubai’s leading hotel brands, reinforcing HFTP’s commitment to knowledge-sharing and professional development within the hospitality finance and technology community.
Devmark, the UAE's leading real estate project sales and marketing consultancy, together with developer Manodev and Atmosphere Living - part of the award-winning hospitality group Atmosphere Core - proudly announces the launch of Arka Enclave, an exclusive waterfront residential community on Dubai Islands. This milestone marks Atmosphere Living's debut in the United Arab Emirates, building on its expansion beyond the Maldives into select international destinations, and continuing the brand's philosophy of timeless design and wellbeing-led living.
Mandarin Oriental will bring a new dimension of luxury hospitality to Dubai with the introduction of Mandarin Oriental Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, the Group's first dedicated golf resort with branded residences and its third property in the city. Opening in 2030, the resort will be uniquely positioned within the prestigious Jumeirah Golf Estates, the Next Chapter. Designed not only as a destination for golf enthusiasts, it will also place a strong focus on wellness for both guests and resident owners, creating a sanctuary where space, wellbeing and nature meet. Located in the south-western part of Dubai, the resort is envisioned as an elevated tranquil escape.
IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world's leading hotel companies, has signed a management agreement with Jadeer Group for a new Hotel Indigo property in New Cairo. The signing strengthens IHG's growing Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio in Northern Africa and adds another distinctive hotel to the Group's presence in Egypt.
The debate over proprietary vs. open AI is a symptom of a deeper issue: whether hospitality is willing to collaborate to truly move forward together. At Alliants, the path is open—not about building walled gardens. Distrust of tech vendors has pushed many large hotel brands to build in-house, often because people weren"t listening to one another openly. Innovation rarely happens in a closed room.
When it comes to where our Distribution landscape is headed - it's not even a question. Of course uniting our efforts is the only way to go. Otherwise we'll lose another OTA battle. But there's much more to the world of AI functionalities, it has its tenticles in every part of our tech ecosystem, not distribution alone.
I think we are in danger of running before we can walk here. MCP is Anthropic’s pitch for an open standard to let "agentic AI" bots built on next-word LLMs share data, for example, an OpenAI bot talking to a Gemini bot. Unless you are Marriott or Hilton with hundreds of in-house developers, or a big OTA like Expedia or Booking.com, this really isn’t something you need to worry about.
You could establish your own protocols instead of MCP, A2A, or other widely endorsed standards for agentic interactions. But that would be like creating your own version of HTTP. Not a great idea. The good news is I don't think companies feel the need to change that basic agent-friendly plumbing.
Radisson Hotel Group continues its expansion across Egypt with the signing of Radisson Resort North Coast, a stunning new upscale beachfront property set to open in one of the country's fastest-growing leisure destinations. Located in Dauwar Abd el Ati Abu Aguz, a prime area for resort development along Egypt's booming North Coast, the upcoming resort will mark the Group's first property in this thriving region. Scheduled to open in 2029, the hotel will feature 250 hotel rooms and 250 branded residences, including 30 family rooms and a presidential suite, with expansive views of the Egyptian Northern Coast. Guests will enjoy six diverse food and beverage venues, a 740-square-metre meeting and events space, dedicated wellness and fitness facilities, kids and teens clubs, an entertaining outdoor aqua park, and direct access to a private beach. The resort is strategically positioned 73 kilometers from Alexandria and just 45 minutes from Borg El Arab International Airport and 60 minutes from El Alamein International airport, which together offer direct connections to over 30 international destinations and growing. The North Coast is rapidly emerging as a key tourism hotspot, driven by government-led infrastructure upgrades and large-scale projects such as New Alamein City and Marina 8. These developments are transforming the area into a high-potential, year-round destination for upscale leisure tourism.
Mövenpick Hotel & Apartments Bur Dubai has announced the launch of an extensive renovation project, thoughtfully designed to enhance the guest journey while embracing the principles of responsible hospitality. The transformation includes a complete upgrade of the hotel's Meetings & Events facilities as well as a full interior refurbishment of the apartment building, combining modern design, cultural connection, and sustainable practices.
The Red Sea destination announces that the first resorts and attractions on Shura Island will begin opening to guests in the coming weeks.
The luxury hospitality environment is dynamic and often unpredictable, requiring leaders to navigate challenges, whether it's adjusting to changing guest expectations, managing a diverse team, or responding to unforeseen circumstances.
Held at the UN Tourism Regional Office for the Middle East in Riyadh, the two-day event (9–10 September) brought together representatives from National Tourism Administrations and Organizations (NTAs/NTOs) from 12 Middle East Member States, with more than 30 participants in total, alongside industry experts and key stakeholders from across the region. The workshop explored the growing potential of wellness tourism as a driver of economic growth, tourism diversification, and sustainability for the Middle East.
The decisive skill I feel separates a great GM is "managing the balanced scorecard" - enlivening employee engagement, amplifying the guest experience, and ensuring financial stability. Too often, the General Manager confuses what is truly important and relevant to the hospitality business.
For me, the role of a luxury hotel GM is first and foremost that of a balancing act. Depending on the context, whether corporate or private ownership, the GM must be able to adapt and understand stakeholders' expectations. They must be able to deal with ambiguity and create added value.
Strategic foresight distinguishes outstanding luxury hotel general managers from their peers. Empathy empowers a general manager (GM) to understand and anticipate the diverse needs of guests, staff, owners, and partners. In luxury hospitality, emotional connections are crucial; guests often remember how they felt during their stay far more than the details of their accommodations.
Helped by a Limp Bizkit concert, Abu Dhabi’s hotel industry posted its highest August occupancy on record, according to preliminary data from CoStar. CoStar is a leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information, and analytics in the property markets.
Today marks a defining moment in Middle East hospitality as Kimpton KAFD Riyadh officially opens its doors in the iconic King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD). As the first-ever Kimpton in the region, the 212-room luxury lifestyle hotel brings the brand's sophisticated yet playful approach, refined design, socially engaging spaces and human-centered hospitality, to the heart of Riyadh's most dynamic neighborhood.
It was inevitable that we would move to conversational AI and on-demand UI. The writing was on the wall years ago. Hotels will be caught off guard as OTA AI agents beat them without mercy at the pricing game. It’s time to build a defensive tool.
We will still need beautifully designed websites and flows — but more as validation layers and brand showcases than as discovery engines. OTAs and suppliers will increasingly serve as structured data ecosystems rather than pure UX-driven platforms.
Are we moving to a future - interesting... Though, you remove glossy images and brand (the websites of today), don't we just return to the flat green text screens of travel agents past, but this time operated by AI? Where description and detail was the important asset to capture interest and convert the booking?