Dubai, United Arab Emirates (February 27, 2020) – Millennium Hotels & Resorts MEA has appointed accomplished hotelier Hamid Sidine as its Managing Director for Saudi Arabia as the hospitality firm forges ahead with its ambitious development strategy for the kingdom.
The industry professional, who has 30 years of regional and international experience, including leadership roles with global hospitality brands, will head up the company’s Riyadh office, responsible for achieving its recently announced goal of operating 25 hotels countrywide by 2025.
Given his broad-ranging expertise across three continents, Sidine has also been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Turkey and Africa, two fast-growing regions where the hospitality company has identified strong development potential as part of its strategic expansion plans.
Millennium Hotels & Resorts MEA was named the fastest-growing regional hotel management company in the Middle East in the October 2019 report by STR, reflecting the firm’s aspirations for the region, with Saudi Arabia a focal point.
The hospitality company currently operates nine properties in the kingdom across Makkah, Madinah and Hail and has seven more under development in Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, Jazan, Riyadh and Tabouk.
Its five-year blueprint for accelerated growth focuses on identifying opportunities to manage additional hotels in strategic locations in every region across the kingdom, supported by a robust Human Resources strategy, with the aim of doubling is current workforce to meet targets.
Sidine takes on the newly created role based on three decades working with global brands such as Sofitel, Pullman, Coralia Club and Novotel in countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon in the Middle East; Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Chad and the Ivory Coast in Africa; and France in Europe.
The multi-lingual Moroccan national also holds several academic certificates in disciplines including leadership development, finance for executives and strategic marketing from Harvard Business School in the USA; an MBA in Management Consulting from Toulouse Business School; and a DTS in Hotel and Tourism Management and a BTS in IT and Accounting Management from the French Institute PIGIER in Morocco.
Kevork Deldelian, Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Hotels and Resorts MEA, said: “Sidine’s vast experience and leadership expertise will be a distinct advantage as we realise our strategic vision for Saudi Arabia and further strengthen our partnerships with hotel owners in the kingdom, with a priority on maximising return on investment. I am confident Sidine will also drive forward our growth strategy in Turkey and Africa, stamping out our footprint in destinations on our development radar.”
Commenting on his new role, Sidine said: “This is an exciting time to join Millennium Hotels and Resorts MEA and I look forward to playing a key role in delivering its ambitious expansion plans for Saudi Arabia and the wider region. Being based in Riyadh offers a distinct advantage, enabling me to work closely with partners and investors to deliver maximum value, which is the cornerstone of the company’s business philosophy.”
Millennium Hotels and Resorts has operated in the Middle East since 2002. The company was recently ranked number one out of 16 global hotel brands for both Middle East supply (with 11,186 rooms in operation) and pipeline (with 7,251 rooms under construction) by global benchmarking specialist STR
