Content library
Podcasts
Marc Dardenne, CEO of Modon Hospitality, discusses how hospitality is shifting from destination-led travel to experience-led stays, and introduces Afiniti, Modon’s new hospitality brand built around curated experiences including family, adults-only, adventure, urban resort and wellness concepts. He also shares plans for branded residences, expansion beyond Abu Dhabi, and the long-term ambition to build Afiniti into a recognised global hospitality brand.
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.
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.
Video Insights
Dimitris Mankis shares his excitement about FHS World 2026 and how the market is showing signs of recovery and resilience.
Team MERED sat down with us to share why the UAE market has continued to show strong resilience despite recent uncertainty. They explain that rather than MERED adapting to the situation, the market itself has adjusted, with projects now moving forward after an initial pause.
In this interview at FHS Saudi Arabia, Muin Sehran, chief executive officer of AMSA Hospitality with two decades of experience across Marriott, NEOM and AMSA, shared insights into how the company is scaling its hotel pipeline while investing in homegrown Saudi talent. The discussion explored AMSA's approach to talent development through the AMSA Academy, the realities of building franchise partnerships with international hospitality brands, and how Saudi hospitality culture shapes the guest experience across the company's growing portfolio.
Press room
Cavendish Maxwell identifies student accommodation, senior living and co-living as major emerging opportunities set to shape the GCC real estate market over the next decade. As the lines between residential, hospitality and lifestyle continue to blur, developers and investors are being encouraged to focus on flexible, professionally managed living concepts built around community, services, convenience and changing demographic needs.
Aleph Hospitality has secured 1,330 keys across nine properties in six countries in 2026, bringing the company closer to its target of managing 100 hotels by the end of 2029. The year’s growth spans new agreements in Nigeria, Pakistan, the UAE, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ivory Coast, while also reflecting a wider shift toward flexible independent hotel management and franchise-led operating models across Africa.
Cavendish Maxwell’s latest GCC hospitality research, released at FHS World 2026, projects nearly 126,000 new hotel rooms across the GCC by 2030, taking total regional inventory to around 616,000 rooms. Saudi Arabia leads the development pipeline, followed by the UAE, while the report also examines 2026 occupancy and rate performance across the region amid shifting travel demand and market conditions.
Industry news
Institutional capital keeps circling Africa but seldom lands. The hesitation is not about opportunity. It is about trust. Global investors still price African tourism and hospitality as if they are betting on volatility rather than performance.
Hotel revenues in the UAE surged past AED 26 billion in the first half of 2025, marking a 6.3% increase year-on-year, with occupancy rates hitting 80.5%. Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri attributed the growth to strong public-private collaboration, aligned with the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031, which targets a AED 450 billion contribution to GDP by the next decade. Preparations are also underway for the UAE–Africa Tourism Investment Summit, part of FHS World 2025, which will bring together ministers and senior officials from 53 African nations.
Advisory Board members offered a treasure trove of insights, recommendations, and strategic ideas aimed at shaping the upcoming event into an industry-defining gathering.
Reports
AI in hospitality is moving beyond the guest interface and into the way projects are designed, delivered, and operated.
The 2026 U.S.-Iran conflict has emerged as one of the most significant geopolitical disruptions to affect GCC hospitality since the COVID-19 period, creating immediate pressure on aviation, traveller confidence, hotel performance, and investment activity across the region. While the operational shock has begun to stabilise following the ceasefire announcement and easing airspace restrictions, investor sentiment remains cautious and increasingly selective.
Industry Pulse Report | April 2026 Compiled for Hospitality Leaders, C-Level Executives & Industry Stakeholders For the Industry, by the Industry