AQEEL Raees, the CEO of Gulf Hotels Group, the owner of the five-star Gulf Hotel Bahrain and operator of The K-Hotel Bahrain, was recently awarded the Worldhotels’ Leadership Award 2013.
Worldhotels is an exclusive group of over 500 independent hotels in 65 countries across the world and the group’s Leadership Award, which was presented to Raees by Robert Hornman, managing director of Worldhotels.
The leadership award is presented annually in recognition of outstanding and inspirational leadership within the group. Previous recipients of the award include Sir Rocco Forte, an iconic figure in the hotel industry and owner of the Rocco Forte Hotels.
During the award presentation, which was held during the Worldhotels’ Annual Leadership Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, Hornman cited Raees’ lifetime of dedication to Gulf Hotels Group spanning 40 years, his transformation of the group’s profitability and his commitment to attracting Bahraini’s to work in the hotel industry as some of the criteria that led to the award.
Raees extended his appreciation to Worldhotels, stating that he was both “honoured and humbled” to receive the award amid such an accomplished gathering of industry leaders. He also thanked the board of directors of Gulf Hotels Group for their support which has greatly contributed to his success and to the management team for their hard work which has helped him establish the group as Bahrain’s leading high-end hospitality operator.
Raees also expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the role played by his wife, Faeqa, and his entire family which has contributed tremendously to his success and life achievements.
Gulf Hotels Group chairman Farouk Almoayyed said: “The Board of Directors of Gulf Hotels Group congratulates Aqeel Raees on receiving the Leadership Award for 2013, which reflects the dedicated and unstinting leadership he has brought to the group.”