Aleph Hospitality strengthens global leadership and regional platform as it targets 100 hotels by 2029 | News
Aleph Hospitality, the largest independent hotel management company in the Middle East and Africa, has further strengthened its leadership team and operating platform through regional offices as it enters a new phase of accelerated growth.
With more than 50 hotels in operation and more than 30 properties in the pipeline across 23 countries and 39 cities, Aleph Hospitality continues to expand its capabilities to support owners and partners across the region. As part of this expansion, the company has appointed several senior leaders to its offices in Dubai and Casablanca.
Aline Barhouche has been appointed Chief HR Officer, leading the company’s people strategy across its growing portfolio. She oversees leadership development, talent management, culture and governance, while working closely with the executive team and hotel leadership to build strong leadership pipelines and support local teams. Aline brings 23 years of HR experience in Oceania, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Estelle Chambost has transitioned to the position of Vice President of Learning & Development after ten years with the company. In her new role, she will lead the strategy to build a strong learning culture across the organization, focusing on developing future leaders and leveraging technology and partnerships to deliver scalable development programs. Estelle has 27 years of experience in hospitality and emerging leader programs.
Marc Matar joins as Vice President, Food & Beverage with a mandate to develop Aleph Hospitality’s F&B division into a key driver of growth and value creation. His focus includes innovation, operational excellence and owner-centric profitability in Africa and the Middle East. Marc has 25 years of experience in food and beverage, operations and strategy across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
As part of its strategy to build strong local leadership and operate closer to the hotels and owners, Aleph Hospitality has also started rolling out new regional offices. In addition to the office already open in Riyadh, a new office is being set up in Casablanca, Morocco, with additional offices planned in Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Cape Town, South Africa; and Nairobi, Kenya.
Abdellah Essonni, based in Casablanca and leading the company’s operations in North Africa, has been appointed Regional Vice President for North Africa. With 35 years of hospitality and real estate experience on four continents, Abdellah oversees the strategic, operational and financial performance of the region’s portfolio while driving market expansion, partnerships and new management and franchise agreements. His appointment reflects Aleph Hospitality’s strategy to give experienced regional leaders full responsibility for performance, development and owner relations.
Bani Haddad, Founder and Co-CEO of Aleph Hospitality said: “Our continued growth reflects the strength of our business model and hotel owners’ increasing demand for an experienced independent operator in the region. By strengthening our leadership team and expanding our regional footprint, we are building the capabilities needed to support our next phase of growth and deliver long-term value for our owners.”
Having achieved its long-standing goal of operating 50 hotels by 2025, Aleph Hospitality has now set a new milestone: operating 100 hotels by the end of 2029, strengthening its position as the largest independent hotel management company in the Middle East and Africa.
