Oct. 29–The Al-Habtoor Group has appointed Rahim Abu Omar as the new chief operating officer — hospitality division. With four decades of hospitality experience, Abu Omar rejoins the Al-Habtoor Group executive team in Dubai to steer a portfolio of 14 luxury hotels, seven in the UAE and seven abroad — in the UK, the US, Lebanon, Austria and Hungary.
A seasoned hospitality management professional, Abu Omar has played an active role in successfully launching several of the group's landmark properties, most notably the Metropolitan Beach Resort & Club, Metropolitan Palace Hotel Dubai, Metropolitan Palace Hotel Beirut, Habtoor Grand Beirut and Habtoor Grand Resort in Dubai.
Prior to his appointment as general manager at The Ritz-Carlton Budapest, he served as chief executive of Habtoor Hotels from 1999 to 2011 and led the rebranding of four- and five-star properties under the Habtoor Hospitality brand.
Abu Omar started his career as sales executive at the Metropolitan Hotel Dubai where he spent 10 years in various positions, with an emphasis on sales and marketing until he was appointed general manager for the Dubai property in 1992. He also held the position of general manager for the Metropolitan Beach Resort & Club, today rebranded to the Habtoor Grand Resort, Autograph Collection.
Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor, founding chairman of the Al-Habtoor Group, said: "I am delighted to welcome Rahim Abu Omar back to the Dubai headquarters and in a leadership role as our local and international hotel portfolio continues to grow from strength to strength. We have worked together for over three decades and I trust he will be successful in his new role with the hospitality division."
Abu Omar said: "Joining Habtoor Hospitality is like coming back home. I feel privileged to be part of the group since it first opened the Metropolitan Hotel Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road in 1979. The success of its hotel portfolio can be attributed to Khalaf Al-Habtoor's vision to create the best product in terms of 'hardware' and his belief in hiring the right people to manage 'software.'"
