In Mark Kirby’s seven years at Dubai’s Emaar Hospitality Group, 2021 was one of his most important. For the first time, it marked the group’s first steps outside of its home emirate, landing in the likes of Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain, Turkey and Bahrain. It’s a bold move by Kirby and his team, but one that has paid off well, with moves into Fujairah and UAQ especially making waves in their markets. In 2021 Kirby spearheaded the launches of Address Beach Resort in JBR, Address Istanbul, Address Beach Resort Fujairah, Vida Beach Resort Marassi Al-Bahrain, Rove City walk and Rove Expo.
At the Expo 2020 Dubai Site, under Kirby’s leadership, Emaar Hospitality Group has successfully managed the 2020 Club by Emaar, a dedicated hospitality venue, located at Al Wasl Plaza. At the exclusive venue, guests can find themselves at the epicentre of all the action, adjacent to the Al Wasl dome, and the UAE Pavilion.
Emaar Hospitality Group says technology and innovation are critical in everything it does, with all projects designed to fulfil the guests’ needs, from health and work to relaxation and sleep.
Mark Willis
CEO India, Middle East, Africa & Turkey, Accor
As Mark Willis himself put it: “We have emerged stronger than ever.” With a merger with Ennismore, deals signed with mega-events and projects in Qatar and Saudi, and renewed focus on brands such as Raffles, Accor has spread across all corners of the market, and done so faster than almost anybody else.
In Willis’ region, SLS Dubai, Th8 Palm Jumeirah, Raffles The Palm Dubai, 25hours Dubai and Hyde Downtown Dubai have all opened, all of which reinforce Accor’s case as the leader in luxury and lifestyle. In KSA, Accor is set to be one of the first operators on The Red Sea Project with its SLS and Raffles flags, while in Qatar, the group has signed a landmark deal to operate 60,000 residential units during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
As of December 2021, Accor has 139 hotels in its MENA pipeline, adding to the 245 Willis already looks after.
https://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/people/50-executive-power-list-2022
