Mr. Nasser Al Nowais, Chairman of Rotana, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award on 9 May at the Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2022. Exemplifying his commended leadership credentials, Al Nowais is the first person to receive the illustrious award recognising legends of the hospitality industry who have made outstanding contributions to the region.

Having co-founded Rotana in 1992, Al Nowais paved the way for the homegrown brand to achieve its vision of becoming one of the leading hospitality groups in the region, raising the benchmark for other hospitality players across the world. In his role as Chairman, Al Nowais has been instrumental in establishing Rotana’s award-winning positioning and carrying out the brand’s promise to deliver ‘Treasured Time’ with an authentic approach to guests across the region.

Commenting on the recognition, Al Nowais said: “I am humbled to be recognised by Business Traveller Middle East and to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is an honour for both myself and all my colleagues at Rotana. This is a testimony to the years of hard work and continuous commitment to asserting Rotana as an international success. Since our first property launch in 1993 with Beach Rotana, we had one vision - to create a dynamic and leading group that raises the standards for Arabic hospitality. Today, I am proud to see the team flourish and continue driving our growth, delivering consistent quality standards driven by a passion for Treasured Time.”

Prior to forming Rotana, Al Nowais spent 14 years as the Chairman of Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH), during which time he began his mission to build a level of Arabic-speaking professional hoteliers that would be better prepared to deliver Abu Dhabi’s hospitality vision to be a globally leading business centre and tourist destination.

In addition to the Lifetime Achievement award, Rotana received the coveted title of ‘Best Hotel Brand in the Middle East’ for the sixth consecutive year. This accolade recognises the group’s commitment to setting the standard for service excellence and consistently delivering positive experiences to travellers across the region. Rotana was also awarded ‘Best Business Hotel in Jordan’ for Amman Rotana, ‘Best Business Hotel in Bahrain’ for Downtown Rotana, while Gefinor Rotana was highly commended in the ‘Best Business Hotel in Lebanon’ category.

Commenting on the achievement, Rotana President & CEO, Guy Hutchinson said: “We are proud to have won the Best Hotel Brand in the Middle East for the sixth consecutive year and I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the readers who have trusted our brand throughout the years. This recognition only demonstrates the extra mile the team goes to ensure an outstanding level of service. The hospitality industry is thriving and we have great plans for the group as it continues to expand across the globe.”

Globally renowned as an industry benchmark for excellence, the Business Traveller Awards celebrate the companies at the forefront of business travel and services, as well as the hard work of top-level industry executives consistently delivering superlative experiences to travellers around the globe.