Noel Massoud, vice president operations and development of Middle East, Swiss-Belhotel International, has moved up five spots in the eight edition of the Power List by Hotelier Middle East, for his role in the massive expansion of the hotel chain in 2016.

From a noteworthy position of #31, the CEO has now been ranked #26 among the 50 hospitality professionals.

2016 witnessed the inception of a host of properties that sweep across the Middle East that includes Saudi Arabia and Egypt, making the Middle East a crucial market for Swiss-Belhotel International. Massoud pioneered Swiss-Belhotel Al Khobar, the 100-room project in Saudi Arabia expected to launch in Q4 of 2016. The property joins the hotels in Makkah and Riyadh.

In addition, under the management of Massoud, the brand has acquired five properties in Egypt, set to launch over the coming three years- Swiss-Belhotel Marseilia, Swiss-Belhotel and Suites Asmarat, Swiss-Belresidences Asmarat, Swiss-Belresort Batter Sea & Swiss-Belresidences Batter Sea.

Massoud said: “I am very pleased that we have achieved such success over the past year and I would like to express immense gratitude for this recognition.”

“Over the past decade, Swiss-Belhotel has invested heavily in the Middle East with the goal of being one of the top hotelier of the region. The consistent growth of the hotel chain is rewarding as it emphasises on how we focus on offering the best premium hospitality services for guests,” added Massoud.

Swiss-Belhotel International’s portfolio in the Middle East consists of 20 hotels, with six currently operating and a further 14 in the pipeline stage.

Total properties operating globally is around 135 hotels and resorts, in Asia-Pacific destinations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, Australia and New Zealand, the Middle East and Europe. - TradeArabia News Service