Leading UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek has appointed a business development manager for its expanding hospitality division. Omar Zahedah will develop new and existing businesses, with a focus on hotels, restaurants and caterers in Abu Dhabi.

Zahedah has more than 16 years’ experience in the hotel and catering sector, and a bilingual Jordanian national.

Markus Oberlin, CEO, Farnek, said: “Omar has a wealth of experience in the hospitality sector, particularly in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

“He understands how the hospitality sector operates, he’s commercially astute and has an outstanding track record. Based at our office in Abu Dhabi, he is ideally placed to capitalise on the bullish market sentiment and the upswing in demand we have witnessed for our hospitality solutions.”

Prior to his appointment, Zahedah has held operational and managerial positions with Four Seasons Hotels, Royal Catering, the Abu Dhabi Armed Forces Officers Club and most recently Abu Dhabi National Hotels, where he generated AED32 million in new business in 2023.

Zahedah, who holds a BA in Hospitality Management, said: “Farnek is a leading FM player in the UAE hospitality sector, with an extensive range of smart, sustainable and cost-effective solutions, offering hard and soft FM services, manpower supply, energy management and innovative digital solutions.

“It is a comprehensive and compelling market proposition and naturally my objective is to grow Farnek’s share of the hospitality market in Abu Dhabi still further, by cultivating strategic partnerships, offering operational efficiency and of course adding value.”

In the meanwhile, market review, research consultancy CBRE estimated in its Q1 2024 that the number of hotel guests in Abu Dhabi increased year-on-year by 22% to 1.3 million.

Furthermore, earlier this year Abu Dhabi’s tourism strategy 2030 was unveiled with the emirate aiming to increase its overnight international visitors from 3.8 million last year to 7.2 million by 2030, adding 18,000 hotel rooms and creating 178,000 new jobs. – TradeArabia News Service