DoubleTree By Hilton Muscat Al Waha Opens as Family-Friendly Resort at Barr Al Jissah
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) has introduced three hotels at Barr Al Jissah, a landmark waterfront destination celebrated for its natural beauty.
Middle East - Latest
Hilton Muscat Al Bandar Opens as Barr Al Jissah’s Lifestyle and Events Hub
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) has introduced three hotels at Barr Al Jissah, a landmark waterfront destination celebrated for its natural beauty.
Al Husn Hotel Muscat Brings Fort-Inspired Luxury to Barr Al Jissah
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) has introduced three hotels at Barr Al Jissah, a landmark waterfront destination celebrated for its natural beauty.
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition
The Growth Code: Why Human Investment is the Ultimate Advantage in an AI Era
As hotels race to automate, Tanja Stegmüller, co-founder of TRUSTmenti, makes the case that resilience will come from intentional hybridity: blending digital efficiency with human wisdom, global standards with local soul, and automation with empathy. She lays out a ten point playbook for building hybrid leaders, learning ecosystems, and people centred cultures, arguing that technology can handle tasks, but only humans can deliver judgment, emotion, and the moments that define great hospitality.
By Tanja Stegmüller, Co-Founder, TRUSTmenti
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition
Closing the personalization gap: Why hotels still struggle to connect online promises with offline reality
Hotels have perfected AI powered personalization online, yet the experience often falls flat on property because guest insights stay trapped in fragmented systems and are not translated into simple, actionable cues for front line teams. Floor explains how unified data layers, predictive and agentic AI, and open standards like MCP could finally bridge this digital physical gap, as long as hotels pair the tech with training and a culture that turns insights into meaningful moments.
By Floor Bleeker, Board Member, Advisor, Investor and Consultant, IN2 Consulting
Hotel Yearbook Article The Hotel Yearbook 2026 - Annual Edition
AI Adoption in Hospitality: Meet People Where They Are
AI may be rewriting hospitality’s playbook, but the toughest part of adoption is not the software, it is the quiet anxieties it triggers on the front line. By tracing three common fears that surface whenever AI enters the workplace, Lynn Zwibak shows how leaders can turn resistance into readiness and make change something teams help build rather than brace against.
By Lynn Zwibak, Founder & CEO, Zwibak | Commercial Strategy
Taj Debuts in Cairo; Signs a 300 Key Hotel
The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), India's largest hospitality company, today announced the signing of a Taj hotel in Cairo marking the brand's debut in Egypt.
By Scott Dahl
Expert Views (7)
Muhammad Tanveer, Author - The Sales Leadership Brief (Linkedin Newsletter), The Sales Leadership Brief
This is a pivotal shift. The issue is no longer which channels we use, but who controls the guest narrative and the data behind it. Hotels will not win by fighting OTAs on scale or ad spend. We win by aligning revenue, marketing, and sales around a single guest intelligence strategy using data to drive relevance, not just reach.
Ira Vouk, Hospitality Tech and AI Consultant, Hospitality 2.0 Consulting
OpenAI, Google and Perplexity will reshape this landscape again. Nobody knows how exactly but 2 years from now the picture will be very different.
Markus Mueller, Managing Director, GauVendi
Stop playing the OTA game—change the game with the product. Yes, third parties are taking control of search, booking flows, and traveler data—but copying their playbook won't reclaim the guest relationship. If you try to "out-CRM" Expedia or "out-loyalty" Airbnb, you're choosing a scale game you can't win.
Alexander The Guest visits the World’s first AI restaurant in Dubai
Chef Aiman AI analyzes texture, acidity, and umami data to create unique flavor combinations at the Kempinski Downtown Dubai location.
From sustainability to sleep tourism and convenience to connectivity: five essentials shaping the future of the Middle East’s hospitality sector
The conference brought together 1,600 leaders with $975M in business opportunities, revealing five trends reshaping Middle East hospitality beyond traditional room-based models.
Expert Views (12)
Muhammad Tanveer, Author - The Sales Leadership Brief (Linkedin Newsletter), The Sales Leadership Brief
The idea of AI-crafted reviews doesn't worry me as much as the possibility of losing the emotional color that real guests bring to the table. Yes, quick prompts will make feedback easier and remove a lot of noise but hospitality has always lived in the small details that guests describe in their own words.
Ira Vouk, Hospitality Tech and AI Consultant, Hospitality 2.0 Consulting
Can the future of hotel reviews be completely AI-generated? - Yes. Will it? Only if we think reviews will continue to be read by humans, which is highly unlikely, as already they're mostly digested by LLMs through semantic analysis to derive trends, sentiment, and suggested areas of improvement.
Erik Muñoz, Business Development Director EMEA, TrustYou
In the next 3–7 years, expect: 95% of reviews to be AI-generated from structured input, platforms to become "reputation orchestrators", users to see personalized, not universal, review summaries, hotels to optimize for models, not guests, because models shape guest choice.
Saudi's Red Sea Development to include a Fairmont property
Fairmont The Red Sea is set to redefine the relationship between luxury tourism and the natural world. The property will feature 193 rooms, six distinct dining concepts, including an overwater restaurant with views of the Red Sea, and a spa. The resort will be situated next to an 18-hole championship golf course, reflecting Fairmont's reputation as a world-class golf operator. It will set new standards in sustainable development, positioned on 125 miles of untouched coastline, an archipelago of more than 90 unspoiled islands, dormant volcanoes, rich marine habitat, and ancient archaeological sites. Opening May 2026.
197-Key Kempinski Hotel Brazzaville Inaugurated
History was made in the Republic of Congo last week during a high-profile ribbon-cutting ceremony for Kempinski Hotel Brazzaville, the first purpose-built luxury hotel in the country's burgeoning capital.
Qatar hotel performance jumped during eventful November
CoStar data shows Qatar hotels achieved 83.9% occupancy in November 2025, with Formula 1 and Doha Film Festival driving the highest ADR and RevPAR since the 2022 World Cup.
Skift Global Forum East 2025: 9 Takeaways for the Future of Travel
Skift partnered with Abu Dhabi's tourism authority to analyze key industry shifts, from the Middle East's growing influence to AI's impact on travel planning.
Luxuria Hotel Management to Open Ramada Plaza by Wyndham in Dubai’s Al Barsha District, Strengthening the City’s Hospitality Landscape
Luxuria Hotel Management LLC, a leading hospitality management company, has announced plans to open a new Ramada Plaza by Wyndham hotel in Dubai's Al Barsha district, one of the city's most popular areas for both business and leisure travellers.
Dusit Thani College begins new wave of global expansion, introduces fast-track hospitality training in Saudi Arabia
The six-month program launches in Riyadh in January 2026, targeting Saudi Arabia's projected 2.7 million hospitality jobs by 2025.
Jumeirah Unveils Eco Village, an Immersive Sustainability Destination at Madinat Jumeirah
Jumeirah, a global leader in luxury hospitality and member of Dubai Holding, today announced the launch of Jumeirah Eco Village - a thoughtfully curated sustainability destination at Madinat Jumeirah designed to inspire sustainable living through engaging, educational experiences.
Introducing InterContinental The Red Sea Resort
InterContinental, the world's first and largest luxury hotel brand, is opening new doors to a world of fascination on The Red Sea. Advancing the brand's pioneering outlook and reinforcing IHG Hotels & Resorts' global commitment to growing a leading luxury and lifestyle portfolio, InterContinental The Red Sea Resort is among the first to open on Shura Island - a destination which, in line with Saudi Vision 2030 ambitions, is setting a new global benchmark in luxury tourism.
The Oberoi, Wadi Safar to Open as Saudi Arabia’s New Luxury Gateway to Diriyah in H2 2026
The Oberoi Group has announced the opening of The Oberoi, Wadi Safar in the second half of 2026, marking a pivotal moment for the brand in the Kingdom. Set adjacent to historic Diriyah and spread across 62 km² of some of Saudi Arabia's most untouched natural landscape, the resort is poised to become one of the country's most exclusive luxury getaways and a serene gateway to one of its most captivating cultural destinations.