Guy Hutchinson, President, Hilton Middle East & Africa, rediscovers the Hilton brand experience and shares excitement over its future prospects in the region. He also lays out the company’s sustainable initiatives and how it intends to continue becoming a changemaker.
Hilton probably has the most diverse hotel offerings, including in the Middle East. What can we expect from the group in 2024? Are any new launches on the cards considering the tourism boom happening in the region?
With more than 80 hotels across 11 brands, our diverse portfolio in the Middle East offers a range of options for travelers – from the midscale Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton to the luxury Conrad Hotels & Resorts and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts. In the coming years, we look forward to expanding our presence further, with plans to increase our portfolio in the Middle East by more than 120 percent.
Indeed, 2024 will be a banner year for new openings across the region. Already this year, we introduced Conrad Hotels & Resorts to Bahrain with the opening of Conrad Bahrain Financial Harbor. We debuted Hampton by Hilton in Kuwait with the opening of Hampton by Hilton Kuwait Salmiya. Meanwhile, last year we introduced Curio Collection by Hilton in Saudi Arabia with the opening of The Hotel Galleria Jeddah, Curio Collection by Hilton.
In the UAE, we will be opening the country’s first Embassy Suites by Hilton in Dubai Business Bay later this year, while in Saudi Arabia, we look forward to the opening of Hilton Riyadh Olaya. We are also looking forward to opening Hilton Cairo Nile Maadi in Egypt.
You have just assumed your new role at Hilton in 2024. What makes Hilton different from other hotel groups?
Returning to Hilton after 10 years has been a fantastic opportunity to rediscover what makes Hilton different. A few things in particular stand out for me.
First is our tremendous pace of growth and development while maintaining consistency across our brands and staying true to our strategy. Of all hotel companies operating in the Middle East & Africa region, Hilton has the most active development pipeline with more than 300 hotels operating or under development. Whether we are debuting a Hampton by Hilton in Saudi Arabia or an Embassy Suites by Hilton in the UAE, we are committed to ensuring it fits within our strategy and offers a product that best delivers the brand USPs.
Since re-joining Hilton at the beginning of the year, I have also truly found that our culture sets us apart. Across MEA, we have over 31,000 team members who make the stay for every guest exceptional by offering consistently reliable and friendly service. Every team member goes the extra mile to spread the light and warmth of hospitality to our guests, communities and amongst each other – and that, I believe, is what has led to the company’s ranking as the #1 World’s Best Workplace.
Hilton has consistently ranked among “Great Places to Work” in the Middle East. How do you plan to continue this legacy?
We were delighted to be ranked the #1 World’s Best Workplace by Great Place to Work last year and have also consistently been placed among the Top 10 Best Workplaces in the Middle East, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.
We want each team member to excel with us, which is why we are investing in a range of leadership training and coaching programs that help identify and develop promising talent.
Across the region, we partner with organizations and academic institutions to help develop homegrown talent and kick-start their careers in hospitality. Partners include the Dubai College of Tourism in the UAE and the Bunyan Training Academy in Saudi Arabia which offers young Saudis the chance to participate in a program accredited by the Swiss hospitality school, École hôtelière de Lausanne.
We are also committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and across our hotels we continue to empower all team members to thrive in their careers, regardless of race, gender, ability or background. Through our partnership with the SEDRA Foundation, for example, we have recruited and trained over 30 People of Determination, while our partnership with Evolvin’ Women has empowered more than 70 women from Africa with job opportunities at Hilton across the UAE and Qatar.
The hotel industry has been at the forefront when it comes to water conservation initiatives. What other initiatives need to be taken to make operations sustainable?
We recognize our critical responsibility to protect our planet and preserve the beautiful destinations in which we operate for generations to come – and guided by our Travel with Purpose ESG strategy, our properties and teams are making meaningful changes to reduce emissions, water and waste. We aim to reduce emissions intensity by 75 percent among our managed portfolio and 56 percent among our franchised portfolio by 2030. We also aim to reduce our water and landfilled waste intensity by 50 percent by 2030.
There are many examples of Travel with Purpose coming to life in the region – a recent one is our ‘Green Breakfast’ pilot project which was launched ahead of COP28 in collaboration with the UN Environment Program. We installed production and plate waste systems across 13 participating UAE hotels, where baseline data was recorded and updated over three months. The pilot saw a 62 percent reduction in pre-and post-consumer food waste – equating to more than 400,000 meals and preventing almost 726 tons of CO2 emissions across a year.
We are focused on how we can contribute to making a positive difference and ensure that Hilton continues to be a changemaker.
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