With 18 new properties announced, a GHA partnership opening up 30 million potential guests and a commitment to women’s empowerment, Rotana is shaping its growth narrative
Rotana, the Middle East’s leading hospitality management company, has announced a significant expansion of its regional portfolio, with 12 new hotels set to open including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, across long-stay residences, lifestyle hotels and full-service premium offerings. Six further properties are set to open in Ghana, Kenya, Benin and Iraq spread across its full-service hotels, branded residences and midscale concepts.
“We are not chasing growth for growth’s sake,” Philip Barnes, CEO of Rotana Hotel Management Corporation, tells TTN. “We are expanding in the places we know best – places where we have history, deep relationships and operational advantage.” Rotana is currently at 80 hotels and aiming to grow to 120 to 130 within five years, Barnes tells us.GHA is much more than a loyalty programme for us. It repositions us - changes the way we are perceived
– Philip Barnes
GHA partnership Following a recent partnership, Rotana provides GHA Discovery loyalty programme’s 30 million members access to its portfolio across the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Turkey. GHA has started the integration and all properties of Rotana’s brands – Rotana Hotels & Resorts, Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts by Rotana, Centro by Rotana, Arjaan Hotel Apartments by Rotana, and Edge by Rotana – will be live in the programme in early 2026. For Rotana, joining GHA not only expands its global reach and visibility – with GHA Discovery loyalty programme generating $2.7 billion in revenue and 11 million room nights in 2024 – but also for current Rotana Rewards members – which will become Rotana Discovery on completion of the integration – it offers an expanded range of loyalty benefits. Barnes explains, “GHA's strength lies in its strategic alliances, fostering deep, symbiotic relationships that extend beyond typical loyalty programmes. This enables us to collaborate with similar brands, tackling shared challenges and leveraging complementary strengths, ultimately creating mutual benefit that goes far beyond simple rewards.” “GHA is much more than a loyalty programme for us. It repositions us - changes the way we are perceived.” ROTANA SHERISE Earlier this year, Rotana’s Corporate Vice President – Owners’ Relationship Management, Sheikha Nasser Al Nowais, was nominated by the UAE for the position of UN Tourism’s Secretary-General for 2026 to 2029.Barnes says only the other day he met Sheikha and said to her, “Do you have any idea how the whole company is right behind you on this? “Everybody, every hotel is just talking about her, talking about this opportunity that it presents,” he says. Rotana SheRISE, spearheaded by CVP Al Nowais alongside Rotana’s CCO Nada Sheshtawy and Park Rotana GM Eleni Tsolakou, is Rotana’s initiative to celebrate and empower women. The initiative highlights the strength, resilience and leadership of women within the company and beyond. It's part of a broader commitment to breaking barriers and fostering a more inclusive environment. "Balanced teams are the most effective teams, we need more female leaders.” Barnes is a staunch advocate for empowering women, recalling how, as GM for Fairmont in Vancouver, 70 per cent of his leadership team was female, leading to the property being hailed as one of the best hotels in Canada. Barnes insists this isn't simply "the hip thing to say," but a deeply held conviction he's driving at Rotana, recognising the undeniable value women bring to leadership. “Women have more emotional intelligence than men,” says Barnes.