IHG Hotels & Resorts , one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has appointed industry veterans Maher Abou Nasr and Charbel Boutros as Vice President of Operations for KSA and Vice President of Development for MEA respectively.

Maher Abou Nasr has been with IHG for over 10 years and most recently as Head of Operations Finance for IMEA, overseeing the Middle East, Africa and South West Asian markets. Prior to this, he was serving as the Director of Development working with owners and partners across the GCC, with a special focus on KSA.

As VP Operations for Saudi Arabia, Maher will be responsible for the performance of the hotels in Saudi, driving operational excellence, building stronger owner relationships, driving greater owner returns and developing the national talent. He will also focus on renovations and upgrading the quality of our current portfolio across the nation.

Charbel Boutros joins IHG following a 17-year tenure at Roya International with a career spanning across different roles including development strategy, hotel development, hotel portfolio strategy, asset management, M&A, tourism, master planning, F&B services and franchising. In his most recent role, he successfully contributed to growth and expansion of Roya’s services, increasing the team size from 5 to over 50 team members and enabling the consultancy service to become the leading hospitality consultancy practice in the region.

Charbel has also overseen the development of iconic properties in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and has served as a client representative and hospitality advisor for some of the world’s best-known hospitality brands.

As Vice President of Development for MEA, his immediate remit will be to lead and deliver on the strategic growth and distribution of IHG Brands, focusing on priority markets – such as Saudi Arabia - within MEA.

Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG said: “As IHG accelerates growth across the region, we are expanding our brand footprint and elevating the stature and quality of IHG properties within the region. with this in mind, we have recruited two remarkable leaders to lead the growth and performance of our priority markets.”

“With Maher’s in-depth knowledge of the company, his credibility with colleagues, and the strong relationships he already has in place with our hotels and owner community, I am confident that Maher will streamline our operations, build on our corporate team in Riyadh and support our nationalization agenda across Saudi Arabia.

“Charbel’s extensive experience in the region across major hospitality chains, and his sound expertise in the completion of major deals and transactions will drive our efforts in realizing our growth ambition across the MEA region,” Mattar added.

IHG currently operates and franchises 165 hotels across 10 brands in India, Middle East, and Africa including: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, voco and Six Senses with a further 104 (include franchise) in the development pipeline due to open within the next three to five years. – TradeArabia News Service