LEADING hotel company Rotana has undergone big changes at its top management, as co-founder Selim El Zyr passes the lead on to Omer Kaddouri. El Zyr will continue to serve in an advisory role as the vice-chairman of the board moving forward.
Kaddouri, the former executive vice-president and chief operating officer, will take the helm as the new president and CEO of Rotana. In turn, his role has been taken over by Guy Hutchinson, who moves to Rotana from his previous role as vice-president of operations – India for Hilton.
The executive change is expected to pave the way for Rotana’s expansion plans to operate 100 hotels by 2020. It will continue to push ahead in new markets such as south-east Asia, eastern Europe and Africa.
Many ongoing innovations at Rotana were driven by El Zyr, in a span of 21 years, including the introduction of the company’s loyalty programme Rotana Rewards and executive club concept Club Rotana. The Arjaan Hotel Apartments by Rotana, Centro Hotels by Rotana and Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts by Rotana concepts were launched under his leadership and key partnerships were forged.
Kaddouri, who is seen as an able successor to El Zyr, has worked at Rotana for more than 15 years. He has been credited in his innovative approach and the company’s its food and beverage concepts.