Recognising his abilities, Lotfi Jabou has been promoted from his position of director of sales and marketing to operations manager/in charge of commercial initiatives at Crowne Plaza Madinah, the KSA.
The organisers of The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) held a briefing event in Jeddah this week, for industry leaders and professionals to discuss the positive performance that the hospitality sector has achieved in Saudi Arabia in 2014, as well as the outlook for 2015 and beyond, with a particular focus on Jeddah and the Holy Cities
Carlson Rezidor, one of the largest and most dynamic hotel groups worldwide, further expands its portfolio in the Middle East: The group announces the mid-market Park Inn by Radisson Dubai Motor City; UAE (147 rooms, opening in Q1 2017) and the upper upscale Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence, Jeddah Gate; Saudi Arabia (452 rooms, opening in Q1 2018).
Originally from Lebanon, Abou El Ezz has over 14 years experience in the hospitality industry. After graduating from Southeastern University with a degree in Business Science in 1998, his first position was with the Marriott International-global sales office in Abu Dhabi.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has today announced the signing of a master development agreement (MDA) with Dur Hospitality Company (formerly Saudi Hotels and Resorts Co or SHARACO) for the franchise of a number of Holiday Inn & Suites across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The agreement will see a number of Holiday Inn & Suites branded hotels developed across KSA over the next five years, significantly enhancing the brand's footprint in the Kingdom.
Best Western International has embarked on the latest stage of its expansion in Saudi Arabia, with the launch of its first ever hotel in the port city of Jizan. The new BEST WESTERN Jazan Hotel becomes one of the first internationally-branded hotels in the city, which is located in the far southwest of the Kingdom, overlooking the Red Sea.
HMH – Hospitality Management Holdings has entered into a management agreement with Mobarak Hotels Group for operating Coral Al Madina Hotel. The announcement was made by Al Sheikh Mohamed Ebrahim Abdulrahim, Chairman of Mobarak Hotels Group and Laurent A. Voivenel, CEO of HMH at the official signing ceremony held in Madina today. In attendance was H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal Al Qassimi, CEO of Faisal Holding LLC and Vice Chairman of HMH, along with senior government dignitaries, tourism officials and prominent businessmen.
With 20 years of experience in hospitality, Andrea started his career in Venice, his native city in Italy, and throughout the years has held key management positions with some of the finest hotels in Europe before joining the family of Four Seasons. His most recent tenure was as Director of Food and Beverage at Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest. He is a graduate of the Learning Centre Starwood with a diploma in food and beverage and the Institute Alberghiero Giuseppe Maffioli, Castelfranco Veneto with a national diploma in hotel and catering management.
Michel makes the move to Coral Al Khobar Hotel from Golden Tulip Resort Dana Bay in KSA where he served as the general manager. During the course of his career, the French national has worked with a number of leading hospitality brands in key positions. These include the Golden Tulip Hotels, Suites & Resorts; Janna Spa & Resort - Hamamat Mai'n Jordan; Holiday Inn Al Khobar; Holiday Inn Resort Half Moon Bay; Holiday Inn Bahrain; Metropolitan Resort & Beach Club, Metropolitan Hotel Dubai; Dubai Marine Beach Club; Royal Lancaster Hotel London and Martinez Hotel, Cannes, France.
Al-Hokair, a group with a long involvement in property ownership and a key player in the development of the hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia, has commissioned Swisscom Hospitality to serve all its properties with advanced Broadband Internet services. Al-Hokair's portfolio currently counts 31 hotels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Dubai (UAE), which operate under a variety of brands including Hilton, Radisson Blu, Park Inn, MENA, Holiday Inn and Golden Tulip, in addition to several independent hotels.
Ahmed Hozaien has been appointed as managing director of FRHI’s three-brand complex in Makkah – Makkah Clock Royal Tower, a Fairmont Hotel, Raffles Makkah Palace and Swissôtel Makkah.
Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh welcomes Tarek Nour as its new Hotel Manager. A Four Seasons veteran who has 12 years of international hospitality experience, Nour arrives in the Kingdom from Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, where he spent two years as Director of Rooms. Born in Cairo, Nour was from an early age involved with the operating of various family businesses including a Lebanese restaurant in the heart of Cairo. As exciting as the restaurant business must have been, Nour's ultimate calling was the rooms division, and over the past 12 years, he has become a true rooms specialist whose skills were in high demand, as he regularly was called upon to assist with the opening of new Four Seasons properties around the world. Nour has also played a key role in Four Seasons rooms council both in the Europe/Middle East/Africa region and the Americas. Delighted with his first appointment as Hotel Manager, Nour is looking forward to the challenge of overseeing all operational elements of the 274-room hotel.
Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Middle East & Africa has unveiled plans to launch its Studio M brand in Riyadh in partnership with Saudi owner Waseel Properties and developer Raseel Properties.
CapitaLand's wholly-owned serviced residence business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott), has deepened its presence in Saudi Arabia as it secured agreements to manage two more serviced residences in the vibrant port city of Jeddah. The 51-unit Citadines Sari Jeddah is slated to open in 2015 while the 135-unit Somerset Corniche Jeddah, the first Somerset-branded serviced residence in Saudi Arabia, will open in 2016.
Carlson Rezidor, one of the largest and most dynamic hotel groups worldwide, brings the Radisson Blu Hotel to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia as part of its expansion across the Kingdom. The upper upscale scale hotel featuring 74 suites is Carlson Rezidor's first property in Dhahran, a thriving business city and a major administrative centre for the Gulf state's oil industry. The hotel will welcome the first guests mid of June.
Adding to its impressive portfolio of hotels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, HMH - Hospitality Management Holdings signed today at the Arabian Travel Market a franchise agreement for a superb new property in Riyadh. Inking the deal, Mr Laurent A. Voivenel, CEO, HMH, said, "It gives us great pleasure to welcome Coral Riyadh Al Dhabab Hotel into our group as we continue to pursue our strategic expansion. Being the political and commercial capital of KSA, Riyadh is an extremely dynamic destination attracting both domestic and international travellers. If all projects in its active pipeline are completed, the city will more than double its number of hotel rooms."
Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company with over 7,500 hotels and part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), today announced the opening of Super 8 Riyadh, the first of the economy hotel brand’s properties to open in the Europe, Middle East, Africa and Indian Ocean (EMEAI) region.
As progress continues on the Middle East’s first Nobu Hotel, slated to welcome guests in late 2014, Nobu Hospitality announces Mark Carnazzola as General Manager of the Nobu Hotel Riyadh. Carnazzola will oversee the operation working with his team to implement the highest service standards and uphold Nobu experience expectations. Carnazzola is no newcomer to the luxury hotel industry with nearly 20 years of experience in hospitality with Mandarin Oriental, the Maybourne Group, (the Claridge’s Hotel, The Berkeley Hotel, The Connaught Hotel), and Jumeirah Hotels.
A British national, brought up in Switzerland, Tyler joins the team with a high level of customer service, superior attention to detail and intuitive understanding of quality.
Swisscom Hospitality Services recently deployed the Radisson Blu Jeddah and the Radisson Blu Yanbu with modern, scalable data networks to provide guests staying at these 5-star properties with a differentiated, hassle-free Internet experience. The two installations mark Swisscom Hospitality's successful entry into the Saudi Arabian market while underpinning the strength of its partnership with The Rezidor Hotel Group across EMEA, and the Middle East in particular.