Issue 3 2021

28 CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 3 2021 , Dec20471 Home for Hospitality COVID-19 has had amajor impact around the world, but no industry has been hit so hard as the hospitality sector. We catch up with Ahmed Hassib, Co-Founder and CEO of Arura Hospitality, to see howhe has been able to thrive in his current position and earn the impressive title of CEO of the Year, 2020 - the United Arab Emirates. When looking at Mr. Hassib’s career, it’s not all that surprising to see what a celebration of success it is. He is a senior executive offering a record of verifiable success in business start-up, business strategy, team leadership, new business development, sales, and marketing with proven ability to effectively build and manage sales and profits. It’s been a long journey, and his efforts with Arura Hospitality are just the next exciting step on the way. Now a clearly successful entrepreneur, Mr. Hassib has designed Arura Hospitality to lead the way when it comes to the tourism sector. At the heart of this impressive operation is a determination to inspire others by offering a truly astonishing experience for each and every guest. High targets are set, and more often than not exceeded in attempts to ensure that customers have the best possible time. One of the reasons behind Mr. Hassib’s success in this venture is his long experience in where the challenges of the hospitality industry lie. Optimizing revenue across the spectrum, from increasing room sales, upgrading revenue, maximizing meeting and conference opportunities and enhancing the unique image and positioning of a property, is key to success. It’s the secret behind his business plan, and why it has thrived. The name Arura Hospitality runs through a range of different brands, offering a standard of exceptional quality that people can quickly come to rely on. The team has come to approach each property as its own unique enterprise, with qualities that make it stand out from the rest. It goes without saying that the differing mindsets and travel occasions of guests, owners and investors alter how each venture is handled. With five different brands to chose from, Arura Hospitality is able to provide a solution that is truly able to fit all. The success of Arura Hospitality is down to many different factors, and Mr. Hassib has experimented over the years with ensuring that each plays their part in delivering overall success. To ensure peak efficiency at a management level, the team support all property stakeholders and general managers through a central office. This office provides auditing, payroll, invoicing, taxes, Insurance, budgets, legal services and training for each property. The management of each hotel is obviously critical to success, and as CEO, Mr. Hassib has played a crucial role in ensuring that the staff under him represent the highest possible standard of employee. As a result, the team have extensive experience in managing hotels, with Also central to success has been the team’s approach to marketing. This is done in addition to manager’s own efforts with their particular enterprise. Having a corporate marketing department allows the team to effectively coordinate regional and national marketing opportunities that benefit each hotel individually and collectively. This work is done in-house, with a talented team of creators ensuring continuity within the different media outlets for the firm. This consistent approach has increased the team’s impressive purchasing power for Media buys. When Arura Hospitality works with a client, they set up a contract that embodies the principles of dedicated service and commitment. It is a solid way of optimizing investment return and capital growth for all concerned. Mr. Hassib has a long history of experience designing effective business plans to help these businesses thrive. Each plan is customized to meet the specific needs of each individual hotel, incorporating details such as the hotel’s market environment, capital improvement needs and operating history. To ensure good development, the team will also receive activity calendars for planning and future monitoring. This supports the marketing plan and ensures the budget targets are achieved. When it comes to expanding the firm’s effort, Arura Hospitality has already started a new and exciting campaign based on inclusion and diversity. Entitled Aruraability, the aim is to empower people, especially women. The scheme is intended to enable access to opportunities in the labour market, which ensure their right to work on an equal basis with others and not to be discriminated against. The scheme will develop their potential raising the firm’s human resources capabilities. The wide geographic presence of the firm has allowed the team to offer a unique combination of extensive global diversified resources, technical expertise, and in-depth local knowledge to our clients. Instead of being forced to remain local, the team are able to offer some of the leading minds in the hospitality industry to support hotels across the land. Of course, one of the biggest challenges faced by Mr. Hassib is COVID-19. Despite everyone’s best efforts, lockdowns in many countries have had a major effect on the hospitality industry. Regaining trust in these institutions will be no easy task, with the fear of the virus still prevalent in society at large. As the situation begins to recover, the team are sure that investors will begin to invest in this popular sector once more, with guests coming from the shelter of staying at home to enjoy some well- deserved rest and relaxation. Looking forward, Mr. Hassib has already begun work on his latest venture, which is the establishment of the hospitality group, Joyoun Hotels and