Future Hospitality Summit Podcast

In this FHS Egypt podcast, Barney Haddad, Founder and Co-CEO of Aleph Hospitality, discusses Egypt's growing significance in Africa's hospitality investment landscape and the opportunities driving the company's expansion. With 50 operating hotels and 30 signed management agreements, Aleph aims to reach 100 operational properties by 2029, identifying Egypt as a key growth market. Haddad highlights the country's strong hotel development pipeline of approximately 45,000 rooms, alongside opportunities across Cairo, the Red Sea and North Coast. He explores the potential for year-round tourism, the importance of financial viability, strategic partnerships and early operator involvement in successful hotel development. He also shares Aleph's plans to establish a dedicated local presence in Egypt, offering hotel owners greater operational flexibility and market expertise. Looking ahead to FHS Egypt, Haddad expresses optimism about the opportunities to build meaningful connections and partnerships, emphasising that strong relationships, local knowledge and perseverance remain central to long-term success in hospitality.

  Podcast Summary: Beyond the Hype – Making Hotel Technology Work In this episode of the FHS Egypt Podcast, Hassan Barakat, Head of Product Management at Advanced Computer Technology (ACT), discusses the role of technology in Egypt's growing hospitality sector and how hotels can turn technology investments into tangible business results. He emphasises the importance of integrating technology into hotel development from the planning stage to improve operational efficiency, guest experiences and revenue generation. Barakat highlights how automation and AI can streamline operations, personalise guest experiences and support revenue forecasting. However, he cautions against adopting technology simply for its popularity, stressing that investments should address genuine operational challenges while preserving the human touch that defines hospitality. He also discusses ACT's commitment to building long-term partnerships with hotel operators through ongoing technology consultancy and support. Overall, Barakat emphasises that successful technology adoption is about delivering measurable value, improving hotel performance and enhancing guest satisfaction rather than simply implementing more systems.

In this episode of the FHS Podcast, Eddy Tannous, Chief Operating Officer of Rotana Hotels, discusses Egypt's growing hospitality sector, investment opportunities, and Rotana's expansion strategy. He highlights the country's strong tourism potential, supported by government initiatives, infrastructure development, and increasing visitor demand. Tannous identifies significant opportunities in the midscale and upper-midscale hotel segments and emphasizes the importance of developing year-round tourism. He also outlines Rotana's plans to expand across Cairo and other key destinations, including Sharm El Sheikh, the North Coast, and Luxor. Tannous discusses the introduction of Rotana Discovery, which provides access to a global loyalty network of approximately 35 million members, and the growing role of AI in improving operational efficiency and guest experiences. Overall, Tannous expresses confidence in Egypt's hospitality future, emphasizing that sustainable growth depends on strategic investment, improved infrastructure, technological innovation, and high-quality service while preserving the country's authentic hospitality and personal guest experiences.

In this exclusive interview at FHS World Dubai, Matthew Weihs sits down with Aman Malhotra, CFO of Kerten Hospitality, to explore Egypt's evolving hospitality landscape and the growing demand for lifestyle-driven destinations. Aman shares insights into Kerten Hospitality's expansion strategy in Egypt, including its diverse portfolio of lifestyle hotels, branded residences, and innovative hospitality concepts. The conversation explores how the company balances distinctive guest experiences with operational efficiency and profitability, while maintaining the unique identity of each brand. The discussion also highlights Egypt's investment potential, the importance of creating destinations rather than simply adding hotel inventory, and the role of local talent, sustainable growth, and stronger investment returns in shaping the future of the market. Discover why Egypt remains a key strategic market for Kerten Hospitality and what it takes to unlock the next phase of hospitality growth in the region.

In this episode, Hala Matar Choufany, President, HVS Middle East, Africa and South Asia, shares her perspective on Egypt's evolving hospitality investment landscape, examining the strength of the market's fundamentals, rising hotel valuations, and the growing development pipeline. The conversation explores the industry's focus on luxury hotels, the untapped opportunities in midscale and affordable accommodation, and the potential risks of oversupply. Hala also discusses the importance of aligning development strategies with evolving traveller demand, balancing investor ambitions with commercial realities, and using data-driven feasibility studies to ensure long-term financial viability. With Egypt attracting increasing investor interest, the discussion offers valuable insights into where the next opportunities lie and what developers should consider to build sustainable, profitable hospitality projects.

Michael Aldridge, Founder and CEO of KOFISI, joins the FHS Egypt Podcast to explain the "hotelified workspace," the model KOFISI has refined over ten years by applying hotel-grade hospitality to the world of work. After launching in East Africa, expanding through West and South Africa, and most recently opening in Casablanca, KOFISI now has Cairo in its sights, with three leased buildings of 80,000 to 100,000 square feet planned for New Cairo. Michael explains why workspace belongs in Egypt's mixed-use compounds and destinations, how lounges, terraces, restaurants, event space and meeting rooms sit under one roof, and why Cairo fits alongside KOFISI's Dubai and Riyadh openings. He closes with advice for Egypt's hospitality market: look to where innovation is heading, meet users' global expectations, and build for the standards of tomorrow, not today.

Marc Dardenne, CEO of Modon Hospitality, joins the FHS Podcast to discuss how guest expectations are reshaping the future of hospitality and why travellers are increasingly choosing experiences over destinations alone. He introduces Afiniti, Modon Hospitality's new experience-led hospitality brand, designed around five distinct worlds: family, adults-only, adventure, urban resort and wellness. Rather than asking guests to choose a destination first, Afiniti is built around the type of experience they want to have, with each property offering its own character while remaining part of one connected brand environment. Pasted text Marc also explains how branded residences will form an important part of the concept, allowing guests to buy into the lifestyle while accessing hotel-style services, management and rental options. Pasted text Looking ahead, he shares Modon Hospitality's plans to grow Afiniti from its Abu Dhabi base into new destinations across the UAE and internationally, including Ras Al Hekma, island destinations, Africa and Europe. The focus, he says, is not on chasing hotel numbers, but on building the brand carefully, maintaining control over the guest experience and creating a long-term platform that can grow with consistency. Pasted text

In this episode of the FHS Podcast, Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Director of Tourism Development at the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, joins us to discuss the UAE's continued strength as a global tourism and investment hub. The conversation explores what is driving the country's resilience, how the Ministry is supporting long-term tourism growth, and where the next opportunities are emerging across investment, destination development, infrastructure, talent and lifestyle.

Mohamed Zaghloul, Board Member & VP of Hospitality Development at Zaghloul Holding, joins the FHS Egypt Podcast to discuss eight decades of real estate and hospitality development in Egypt - from the family business roots of the 1940s through to today's pipeline of 3,000 rooms. Mohamed shares his perspective on Cairo's multi-segment advantage, the flight capacity bottleneck holding back Egypt's tourism growth, the rise of medical and ecotourism, and why Gulf capital flowing into the market is a net positive for local operators. A grounded, owner-side view on where Egypt is and where it's heading.

In this episode, Dr. Moath Alyahya, Chief Executive Officer of Knowledge Economic City, explores how Madinah is evolving into a broader investment, hospitality and mixed-use destination. The conversation looks at KEC's expansion strategy, major developments including Knowledge Gardens and the Islamic World District, changing demand beyond religious tourism, and how new partnerships and investment structures are helping shape the city's next chapter under Vision 2030.