Growth that really matters
Mohamed Awadalla , CEO of TIME Hotels, explains why resilient growth depends on smart technology, local relevance and keeping people at the heart of hospitality
F ounded in Dubai in 2012, As it expands its portfolio and enters new markets, the focus is to retain the values that have underpinned the business from the start, including its “You Really Matter” promise to guests and hotel teams alike. Q: As a UAE-based hospitality group, how do you see the region influencing global hospitality standards as the industry looks towards 2040? The Middle East has moved from being a fast-growing hospitality market to becoming TIME Hotels has evolved into a multi-brand hospitality group with a growing footprint across the Middle East and beyond. one of the places where the future of hospitality is being shaped. The scale of development taking place across the region, combined with increasingly sophisticated travellers, is raising expectations not only locally but globally. What makes the region particularly interesting is that we are not choosing between technology and traditional hospitality. We are trying to bring the two together. We want hotels to be smarter, more
efficient and more personalised, but at the same time we understand that hospitality is ultimately about people. Looking towards 2040, I believe the Middle East will continue to influence global standards in areas such as guest experience, technology, destination development and service innovation. But I also believe we have something very important to contribute culturally: the genuine importance we place on welcoming people. Q: As TIME Hotels scales up, how are technology and data supporting consistency, decision-making and operational control? When you operate across different countries and markets, you cannot manage the business based on assumptions. You need visibility, and technology gives you that visibility. We are investing in connected systems that allow us to have a much clearer view of what is happening across our hotels, from commercial performance and guest behaviour to operational activity and marketing effectiveness. This enables our teams to make decisions based on facts
rather than instinct alone. But I don't believe technology should create a centralised business where every hotel operates in the same way. Our markets are different, our guests are different and our teams are different. What we need is consistency in our standards and our governance, while allowing our people on the ground to make decisions that are appropriate for their market. Q: With increasing reliance on data and connected systems, how important are trust, cybersecurity and governance to guest confidence and brand credibility? Guests give us personal information because they trust us. Our employees and partners also share information with us because they expect us to manage it responsibly. As our businesses become more digital and interconnected, that responsibility becomes even greater. Cybersecurity and data governance are therefore not simply IT matters. They are part of protecting the brand. We need strong systems, clear accountability and appropriate controls,
Mohamed Awadalla
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