Abu Dhabi-based leading hotel management company Rotana, which has properties across the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Turkey (Menat), will expand its workforce by up to 10,000 as it will aggressively expand its portfolio over the next seven years.

“We employ about 11,000 people across the region and another 8,000 to 10,000 will be added by 2030,” said Guy Hutchinson, President and CEO of Rotana.

The hotel major’s total portfolio consists of 130 properties and it will add over 120 hotels by 2030. It operates 17,000 keys and aims to add more than double to 35,000-40,000 by 2030, he said.

The company has a presence in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tanzania etc. While its new properties are coming up in Kenya, central and east Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Eastern Europe and Turkey.

Rotana recently announced entry into the UK with the launch of two new properties under its affordable hotel and serviced apartment brand, Centro, Centro New Malden and Centro Kingston. These are the first two properties to launch as part of a wider agreement to develop up to 1,500 keys over multiple sites across the greater London region, all under the Centro brand.

“We are now focused behind growth so always looking for new opportunities,” said Hutchinson.

He said there are opportunities across all segments in the GCC.

“There will be a fast acceleration in branded hotel apartments, mid-market like our Centro brand. It’s going to be growth across all brand categories in Saudi Arabia.”

With regard to the UAE market, he said this is not a market which should be judged in a normal context.

“This is a market with 10-15 years plan to grow. The same dynamics are not present in many countries around the world. It is unique. There is no market in the world like Dubai that has absorbed 140,000 hotel rooms and performing in the top five cities in the world. People should have more confidence in what would happen in the market,” said Rotana chief.

Going forward, he added multiple feeder markets to support the hospitality sector in the UAE. “Over the last 2-3 years, there has been an amazing job in bringing new markets as the UAE has a diverse collection of events such as tennis, Cop28, cultural, sporting, sustainability-driven events,” he said.

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