Hotelier Middle East Power 50 – Aly Shariff

Aly Shariff joined Citymax Hotels nine months ago to oversee the group’s portfolio of hotels and drive its expansion strategy. He has been mandated to oversee the growth of Citymax Hotels from its current portfolio of four hotels and 1,384 keys to eight hotels and 2,333 keys.

The group is gearing up to open three new hotels in the final quarter of 2018 — one in Ras Al Khaimah and two in Dubai.

In November last year, Citymax Hotels made its debut in Aswan, Egypt with the opening of Citymax Hotel Aswan, marking the group’s first international property.

Following the announcement of a new brand identity in 2017, the group unveiled its refreshed new look at Citymax Hotel Al Barsha. The renovated hotel features additional sleeping areas in rooms and smart connectivity options. Shariff enthuses to Hotelier: “I will be spearheading the launch of [Citymax Hotels’] new identity by redefining the segment and by carving out a unique position being guest-centric, market-appropriate, as well as adaptive to each location.”