He discusses the region’s shift towards strategic investment, authentic experiences, and sustainable profitability.
As the Middle East continues to position itself as a leading global destination for travel and tourism, its hospitality sector is undergoing a dynamic transformation. From large-scale infrastructure investments to the rise of experiential travel and sustainability-focussed developments, the region is redefining its offering to meet shifting global expectations.
Offering his invaluable insights is Ali Manzoor, Head of Hospitality, Hotels & Tourism at CBRE MENA. With over 15 years of experience in the industry, and more than a decade based in the Middle East, Manzoor is a respected specialist in both hotel advisory and operations. He has worked closely with developers, investors, and government entities across the region, advising on feasibility studies, hotel valuations, pricing strategies, asset reviews, and hotel management agreements.
As a judge at the TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2025 – Middle East, Manzoor shares his perspectives on the sector’s ongoing evolution, key strategic priorities, and the future of hospitality in the Middle East.
With your extensive experience, how has the region’s hospitality and tourism sector evolved in its approach to development, investment, and guest experience?
Over the past decade, the approach to hotel development has become increasingly complex as market participants are forced to deal with rapidly changing development costs, more localised performance pockets, and heightened market competition. HMAs, too, have evolved, and whilst they were once quite extreme for both hotel operators and developers alike (i.e. very generous fee structures alongside very favourable development protections), over time, they have become more balanced. Another aspect of the sector that has changed over time is the attitude towards affordability. Where the market once associated upscale or midscale developments with ‘low quality’ and therefore undesirable endeavours, this is no longer the case, with developers now delivering quality mid-market hospitality offerings in substantial volumes.
What strategic steps should companies in the Middle East’s travel industry take today to remain competitive and relevant in the face of evolving global expectations?
To date, the leadership of the UAE has always been quick to innovate within the hospitality sector in response to continuous changes in visitor expectations and demographics. To this end, dozens of demand generators have come to market in recent years, and there are still significant ones yet to come. This, underscored by the various infrastructure enhancements and continuously improving connectivity, will ensure the long-term health of the sector. Saudi Arabia, too, has made leaps and bounds in this regard, but given the scale, timeline, and scope of the leadership’s vision, there is naturally more ground to cover. That said, we are starting to see a few megaprojects come to market, and initial signs are positive.
How can hospitality operators better leverage local culture, heritage, and storytelling to offer authentic experiences that resonate with today’s global travellers?
Arabian Hospitality has always been a defining characteristic of the region, and certainly a source of pride. That said, how ‘local’ culture is being delivered today is somewhat multidimensional. In Al Seef, for example, a more traditional approach is on display, which can be seen from the service, to the decor, through to the subtle nods to the Emirate’s roots in pearl diving. In 25 Hours, by contrast, whilst there are nods to the region’s history, what is more prevalent are visual queues that pay homage to the fact that Dubai’s population has transitioned from traditional to modern nomads.
In your view, how can destinations in the Middle East better integrate sustainability into both luxury and mass tourism models without compromising guest experience?
We are starting to see more developments with core tenants rooted in sustainability in the region whether that be within stand-alone schemes or integrated masterplans. The Red Sea Development is a great example, which, despite being positioned at the ultra-luxury level, has goals which include fully powering destinations with renewable energy, achieving net zero operations, delivering a 30% net conservation benefit, and growing 30 million plants. It will be great to see these goals being delivered and indeed how the notions of sustainability and luxury are reconciled, which to some degree, are somewhat at odds with each other.
As a returning judge at the TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2025 – Middle East, what key criteria will you use to evaluate this year's nominees?
As someone who is immersed in the financial aspect of hotel development on a daily basis, I will always have a natural bias towards anything that enhances profitability. At the end of the day, hotel owners are in a quest for a healthy bottom line, and anything that nominees do to both create and capture value represent the gold standard for me.
