Track Rotana Hotel Management in one place. This hub aggregates the latest news and openings across Rotana’s hotels in the Middle East, Africa and beyond, as covered by trusted sources. Follow a leading regional hotel group.
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Global Hotel Alliance Announces 2026 Award Winners; Wharf Hotels and Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas Take Top Honors
7 July 2026🏨 July 5, 2026, aboard the Seven Seas Splendor, the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) awarded outstanding achievements in hospitality. Wharf Hotels won Best Brand Performance, while Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas earned Hotel of the Year. Lanson Place Parliament Gardens, Melbourne, received Best New Hotel. Cheval Collection, Kempinski Hotels, and Outrigger Resorts & Hotels were also recognized. The event celebrated milestones, with The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts marking 20 years with GHA. Arthur Guérin-Boëri delivered a keynote address.
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Major Hotel Chains Misalign AI Investments by Focusing on Direct Booking as Traveler Discovery Shifts Elsewhere
1 July 2026📈 Hotel chains’ AI investments focus on direct bookings, missing the shift to discovery platforms like ChatGPT and Google AI Overview. Oracle VP Tanya Pratt emphasizes cloud over AI as transformative in hospitality tech. Alliants deploys its Experience Platform across Premier Inn’s 95,000 rooms in the UK and Germany. Coolcation searches rise 74% YoY in H1 2026. WTTC and UNEP sign a sustainability MoU through June 2028. New hotel openings in the Faroe Islands, Northern Thailand, and Vienna.
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Oracle Launches Free Opera Cloud AI Assistant, Impacting Thousands of Hotels Including Wyndham, Accor, and Hyatt
17 June 2026💻 Jun 17, 2026 – Oracle debuts the Opera Cloud Assistant, free for existing PMS users, including Wyndham (2,100+ properties), Accor (110 countries), and Hyatt (1,000+ properties), enhancing hotel operations AI at no extra cost globally. Launched at HITEC in San Antonio, it contrasts with paid AI solutions from other vendors. This strategic move challenges the value of separate AI expenditures, focusing on AI quality over cost, with widespread adoption as a significant test.
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Future Hospitality Summit 2026 in Dubai Confirms 30 Industry Leaders as Speakers from September 29 to October 1
16 June 2026📅 Dubai, UAE, 16 June 2026: From 29 September to 1 October 2026, Madinat Jumeirah hosts the Future Hospitality Summit – FHS World. With the theme “Reinvest in our Future,” 30 industry leaders including Ho Kwon Ping and Sonu Shivdasani will discuss global hospitality trends. The summit attracts hospitality owners, operators, investors, developers, consultants, and educators. The speaker list is at https://www.futurehospitality.com/world/speakers, continuously updated. Ali Shahid, CEO of The Bench, emphasized the industry’s resilience.
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Saudi Arabia Exceeds 100 Million Visitors, Aims for 150 Million by 2030, Boosting Hospitality Sector Growth
25 May 2026🏨 From 22-24 June 2026, the Future Hospitality Summit will be held at Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has exceeded 100 million visitors and aims for 150 million by 2030, with tourism employment surpassing one million jobs. Despite regional uncertainties since early 2026, domestic demand and religious tourism maintained stability. The Duroob programme supports local talent in hospitality, emphasizing the importance of skilled personnel alongside capital investment in sustaining the sector’s growth.
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Hotel brands in a crowded market
10 February 2026🏨 The hotel industry houses over 450 brands with 17.5 million rooms under major groups and 14.3 million independent rooms globally. Marriott’s 2016 acquisition of Starwood created the largest hotel group with 30 brands. Global and regional groups account for 55% of accommodation capacity. Franchises focus on owner economics rather than guest preferences. The “big five” hotel groups dominate through scale and loyalty ecosystems. Sustainability and personalized loyalty programs drive modern consumer decisions.
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Global Hotel Alliance unveils 2025 full-year review
27 January 2026📈 Global Hotel Alliance’s 2025 revenue hit $3.2 billion, up 21%, driven by international travel, which made up 67% of revenue, with Thailand, UAE, Singapore, and Spain as top destinations. Repeat-stay and cross-brand revenues increased by 18% and 15%, respectively. Membership rose 25% to over 34 million, while direct digital bookings saw a 29% rise. The US and UK led as outbound markets. GHA added eight hotel brands, expanding its global footprint.
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From Small Alliance to Global Powerhouse: GHA Generates Billions in Revenue for Its Member Hotel Groups
27 January 2026📰 In 2025, GHA Discovery reached 34 million members, up from 3.2 million in 2024, and generated USD 3.2 billion in transactions, a 21% increase. Eight new hotel brands and 175 properties were added, with Thailand and UAE leading in bookings. International stays made up two-thirds of revenue, with top countries being Thailand (93%) and Portugal (87%). The U.S. and U.K. were leading markets, generating USD 432 million. Growth is expected in 2026, driven by younger travelers.
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Global Hotel Alliance Delivers Outstanding 2025 Results, Marking Another Year of Remarkable Growth
26 January 2026💸 GHA DISCOVERY revenue hit $3.2 billion in 2025, a 21% increase from 2024. Repeat stay revenue was $1.8 billion (+18%), and cross-brand stay revenue reached $424 million (+15%). Membership grew 25% to 4 million, with D$ redemptions up 55% to D$31 million. The US and UK generated $432 million in international stays, up 18%. 175 new properties were added, and direct bookings surged 29% as GHA expanded its global presence.
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Live from the 25th Hospitality Awards, discover the winners!
25 November 2025🏨 Emmanuel Macron, President of France, supported the 25th Hospitality Awards in 2025. Recognizing pioneers like Robert H Burns and others, the event highlighted Kempinski’s Flourish program, Meliá’s sustainability initiative, and Marriott’s anti-trafficking efforts. VisitBritain’s campaign drove £20 per £1 spent. Club Med’s anniversary reach included 16M impressions. Rotana co-founders Nasser Al Nowais and Selim El Zyr were honored for their 33-year legacy. Sofitel’s transformation emphasized sustainable luxury.
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A new stage in Rotana’s development
3 November 2025🏨 Rotana has signed a deal for Rotana Jabal Omar – Makkah, a 655-key hotel near Al Masjid Al Haram, during the Future Hospitality Summit in Dubai. The project supports Saudi Vision 2030 by enhancing pilgrimage capacity and service quality. Rotana operates 12 hotels in Saudi Arabia and plans nine more. Makkah is expanding its hospitality infrastructure, with hotel rooms expected to increase from 63,000 to over 71,000 by 2027, aiming to host 30 million pilgrims annually by 2030.
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Interview with Philip Barnes, CEO of Rotana Hotels & Resorts
15 October 2025📍 Rotana, led by its first external CEO, is evolving from a strong regional presence to a global contender. Operating 80 hotels across 14 countries, with plans for 35 more, the company aims for 200 hotels in five years. Key growth regions include the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa. In Saudi Arabia, Rotana targets secondary cities. Integration into the Global Hotel Alliance expands access to 30 million loyalty members, reinforcing its globally connected, regionally rooted identity.
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Global Hotel Alliance strengthens leadership with three appointments
24 July 2025📈 Katharina Dein, Jelena Kezika, and Andrea Krenn assume pivotal roles at Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) in 2023. Dein, with GHA since 2013, becomes VP of Commercial, while Kezika, also since 2013, is VP of Strategy. Krenn, part of GHA from 2021, is now Senior VP of Communications. GHA, with 800+ hotels in 100 countries, champions gender diversity, with women making up 60% of leadership. New hotel additions in 2025 include Cinnamon Hotels (Sri Lanka), Sunway Hotels (Malaysia), and Rotana…
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Global Hotel Alliance Aims for 1,000 Member Hotels in the Discovery Program
19 June 2025📈 2024, global hotel CEOs from 35 out of 45 chains met in Brussels. The Global Hotel Alliance, inspired by airline models, boasts 35 million Discovery program members. In 2024, this generated $2.7 billion from 11 million room nights. An 11% room night increase and 15% revenue rise marked 2025’s first quarter. The Green Collection includes 52% of properties, boosting bookings by 10-20%. Goals: 1,000 hotels globally and $3 billion revenue in 2025.
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Rosewood Baha Mar Welcomes Gowdhaman Perumal as Director of Food & Beverage
21 May 2025This article was written by Hotel Executive. Click here to read the original article Bahamas, Nassau. May 21, 2025 Rosewood Baha Mar is pleased to announce the appointment of Gowdhaman ‘GP’ Perumal as Director of Food & Beverage. With over 24 years of international hospitality experience, GP brings a wealth of expertise and a passion for culinary excellence to this exciting new role at one of The Bahamas’ most prestigious resorts. GP’s distinguished career spans renowned luxury properties around the…
