Hotelier Middle East

1 month ago | hoteliermiddleeast.com | Emily D'Silva

Ahead of the launch, we caught up with Dursun to find out more about the ultra-luxury resort’s pre-opening, design inspiration and incorporation of local culture. Dursun shares how the journey to opening the resort required meticulous planning and curation. Not only to build a remarkable destination, but also to attract the right talent and build a strong team that could deliver the highest standards of service.

1 month ago | hoteliermiddleeast.com | Safa Hassan

Boutique Group announced that construction of Red Palace Hotel in Riyadh is over 60 percent complete, with an April 2026 opening set to introduce new luxury standards. Meanwhile, Shangri-La Jeddah has named Brice Lunot as general manager, reinforcing the property’s market position through strategic leadership. These milestones reflect Saudi Arabia’s focus on luxury, talent development, and sustainable growth in the hospitality sector.

1 month ago | hoteliermiddleeast.com | Emily D'Silva

To achieve all of these qualities, hiring a diverse team of leaders is essential. Businesses with diversity at C-suite level have been proven to be more successful — McKinsey and Company found that businesses with gender diversity on executive teams outperformed their less diverse competitors by 39 percent in 2023. There is still a lot of progress to be made regarding gender parity at C-suite level in the hospitality industry in the Middle East.

1 month ago | hoteliermiddleeast.com | Emily D'Silva

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap 2024 report, the gender parity score in the Middle East is the lowest worldwide at 61.7 percent. Furthermore, the region’s female labour force participation rate (LFPR) is an average of 45 percent, in contrast to 85 percent for men. That said, the report also highlights how the region has seen positive trajectory since 2006, advancing its gender gap score by +3.9 percentage points.

1 month ago | hoteliermiddleeast.com | Emily D'Silva

Coinciding with International Women’s Day, our cover feature this month is an exclusive interview with Nadine Al Bulushi, the first Omani woman to become a general manager. GM at Kempinski Hotel Muscat, Al Bulushi shares details of her career journey, the challenges she’s faced and overcome as an Arab woman, and her advice for other women in the industry. Continuing the theme, another feature this month explores gender parity in the industry.