Corporate and Leadership Team

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Arun Kumar
General Manager, Hospitality Division
Arun Kumar is the General Manager of the Hospitality Division at Al Khoory Hotels. He started his career in 1991 as a Food and Beverage Manager for Taj Group of Hotels, India, and has since been a vital part of various hotel groups in Dubai, including Flora Group of Hotels (as Cluster General Manager), Safeer Group of Hotels (as General Manager of the Hotel Division), and Al Bustan Centre & Residence (as Resident Manager). His comprehensive experience in the industry has enhanced his core competencies of pre-opening operations, sales and marketing strategies, project coordination, and operational excellence. Arun has a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Mumbai (1991) and is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam. Driven to excel by taking up new challenges in marketing properties through diverse channels and emerging markets, Arun has developed a holistic engagement with Hospitality.
Ivo Tzvetkov
General Manager, Operations and Quality Assurance
Ivo Tzvetkov is the General Manager of Operations and Quality Assurance at Al Khoory Hotels. With more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Ivo has worked with both international and locally evolving hotel groups. Having spent 14 years with Marriott International, in UK and China (ascending to the role of Director of Operations), he made a focused transition aimed at learning to “build from the ground up” and joined the privately owned ultra luxury Zhongmao Haiyue Hotel and Hebei Grand Hotel Executive Apartments, China (as Resident Manager), following this he moved to Dubai with Flora Group of Hotels (as Cluster Director of Operations), before joining Al Khoory Hotels in his current role. Driven by his desire to excel beyond his comfort zone, Ivo consistently hones his numerous core competencies, to achieve results for all stakeholders and he finds great pride in developing and seeing people grow. Ivo graduated in Hotel Management with Honours from the College of Tourism, Cyprus, and the American Hotel & Motel Association in 1996. A dedicated and fast learner, he is fluent in Bulgarian and English, with a working professional proficiency in Russian.
Elias El Sous
Head of Sales
Elias El Sous is an accomplished hospitality executive with over a decade of experience, recognized for his ability to drive business growth and deliver exceptional guest experiences. His leadership has earned him prestigious awards, including Hotelier Middle East's 30 Under 30 in 2022 and the Hilton Circle of Excellence in 2019. Elias has a proven track record of improving profitability, enhancing employee engagement, and ensuring guest satisfaction across top-tier hotels.

Elias began his career as a Food & Beverage Intern at InterContinental Phoenicia Beirut before advancing through roles at Rotana Tamar Hotel and, most notably, Hilton Worldwide, where he spent eight years in key leadership positions. He started as Assistant Manager of Food & Beverage during the pre-opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Dubai Business Bay, where he developed F&B concepts and introduced new revenue streams. His success led to a promotion to Sales Manager, overseeing corporate and event sales. Eventually, Elias became Cluster Director of Sales for five Hilton properties in Dubai, driving top-line revenue, maximizing profitability, and ensuring operational excellence. Most recently, he served as General Manager at The Muse – Dubai, where he continued to lead revenue growth and operational success.
Djamel Guermit
Corporate Revenue Manager
Djamel Guermit is the Corporate Revenue Manager at Al Khoory Hotels, bringing over 17 years of robust experience in revenue management and reservations. He has a proven ability to maximize hotel revenue, excelling in areas such as revenue analysis, statistical data analysis, yield management, web content management, reporting, budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning, and marketing strategy.

From 2020 to 2024, Djamel was the Cluster Revenue Manager at Gulf Hotels Group, overseeing five properties with a total of 920 keys, including four hotels in Bahrain and one in Dubai. During this time, he played a key role in driving revenue growth for both Dubai and Bahrain properties year over year.

Before that, he spent 9 years at Rotana Hotel Management Corporation in Dubai, working across four different properties where he honed his skills in accurate forecasting, competitor pricing analysis, and rate strategy development. Djamel's career began in 2007 at Al Habtoor Group, where he managed reservations and room sales for multiple hotels in Central Reservations. Djamel holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English literature from Saad Dahleb University in Algeria, which has equipped him with strong critical thinking and communication skills. He is also fluent in three languages: Arabic, English, and French.
Mostafa Moussa
Corporate Culinary and F&B Manager
Mostafa Moussa is the Corporate Culinary and F&B Manager at Al Khoory Hotels. A talented, creative and accomplished Chef with over 25 years of comprehensive experience in hospitality industry managing lifestyle restaurants, bars, conferences and events’ facilities of medium and large size luxury resorts and city hotels. Chef Moustafa’s previous experience includes working with International Hotel Groups across different countries such as InterContinental Phoenicia Beirut and Crowne Plaza Beirut in Lebanon; Kempinski Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Minchin and Grand Kempinski Hotel Helligendam in Germany; Kempinski Kovalam Beach Kerala in India; DoubleTree by Hilton Dhahran in Saudi Arabia; Royal Tulip Al-Rasheed Hotel Baghdad in Iraq; InterContinental Hotel Abu Dhabi, Emirates Palace Hotel Abu Dhabi, Raffles Hotel Dubai and Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi in UAE. He has been featured on Abu Dhabi TV for 2 months live cooking on Kif Al Soha Show. A graduate of Decoani College Lebanon in 1999, Chef Moustafa holds a degree in Hotel Management with specialization in Culinary. He is adept at strictly monitoring kitchen activities and meeting health code standards with strong organizational, leadership and management skills.
Uday Shetty
Financial Controller
Uday Shetty is the Financial Controller at Al Khoory Hotels. He brings with him 14 years of post-qualification work experience, with 10 years in Finance and 4 years in Group Internal Audit. Starting out as an Accounts Manager at Mahavir Decorative Products Limited, India, he moved on to become Finance Manager at Princess Hotel, Ramee Royal Hotel and Regal Plaza Hotel in Dubai. He has also been the Senior Manager – Finance and Internal Audit for Ramee Group of Hotels & Resorts in the UAE, Bahrain and Oman. Through his skills in system development and implementation, taxation, financial planning/analysis and reporting, and corporate treasury management, he enables management team efficiency, high economic value addition and superior organizational performance. A chartered accountant from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (1999), Uday graduated from CPA Australia in 2010. He is fluent in English, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada and Tulu.
Sujith Narayanan
Corporate IT Manager
Sujith Narayanan is the Corporate IT Manager at Al Khoory Hotels, where he leverages over 20 years of experience to develop, deploy, and maintain IT infrastructure, applications and systems. His career spans multiple sectors, including hospitality and retail, making him a crucial driver of technological excellence at Al Khoory Hotels.
At Al Khoory Hotels, Sujith plays a pivotal role in overseeing IT operations, focusing on system efficiency and alignment with the hotel chain’s strategic goals. His expertise in system development and maintenance enables him to troubleshoot, optimize, and innovate IT solutions effectively.
Before joining Al Khoory Hotels, Sujith served as a Business System Engineer at Lulu Group, where he contributed to the development and optimization of SAP-based business systems. He also held the position of Cluster IT Manager at Hospitality Management Holdings (UAE). His career is marked by a diverse portfolio of successful IT projects, showcasing his ability to handle complex challenges with dedication.
Sujith holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science with first-class honors from Bharathiar University, Tamil Nadu, and an Advanced Diploma in Client Server Technologies. He is proficient in English, Hindi , Malayalam and has a basic understanding of Arabic.
Wasim Raja
Chief Human Resources Officer
Wasim is a certified HR professional with in-depth organizational development knowledge with certification courses from IIM-Bangalore and JAS-ANZ (Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand) with progressive experience over a period of 10 years in the HR domain with commended performance and proven results. He currently leads the HR Functions at Al Khoory Hotels, having worked with various reputed companies in UAE and India. Wasim has an Extensive background in HR generalist affairs, hotel pre-opening, employee recruitment, conflict resolution, performance appraisal, compensations and benefits and the development of HR policies. In addition, he is also adept at handling general HR-related workplace issues. A passionate and result-oriented professional, he is an effective facilitator, process coach and leader. He has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Kashmir (2007) and holds an MBA in Human Resources and Marketing from the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (2011). Fluent in English, Urdu, Hindi and Kashmiri, Wasim is skilled at initiating, managing and optimizing a range of HR functions across hierarchies, while also resolving performance management issues.
Graham Jeff Isaacs
Cluster Hotel Manager
Graham Jeff Isaacs is the Cluster Hotel Manager at Urban Al Khoory and Al Khoory Courtyard Hotel. Having started his hospitality career in 2000 as a Duty Manager at JAIC Hilton Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jeff went on to work with Coral Deira Hotel (formerly Safir Deira Hotel), Dubai, in 2002. He then joined the pre-opening team of Al Khoory Hotel Apartments in 2008 as an Assistant Front Office Manager and progressed to his current role by being one of the successful pioneers and pre-opening team members of Al Khoory Hotel Apartments in the same year. His wide range of experience in the hospitality industry has honed his extensive skills in hotel operations, revenue management and running pre-opening projects. Jeff has a Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality from CTH (the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality), UK. An astute strategist and manager, he is highly committed and result-oriented, with a strong passion for his field of work.
Leslie James
Cluster Hotel Manager
Leslie James is the Hotel Manager of Al Khoory Executive Hotel. Skilled in negotiation, budgeting, hotel management, and sales management, Leslie has worked with world-class hotels in Dubai, including Imperial Group of Hotels (as Senior Sales and Marketing Manager), London Crown Hotel and Apartments (as Assistant Director of Sales and Marketing), Sea View Hotel and Royal Ascot Hotel (as Director Of Sales Marketing at Khamas Hospitality), and Omega Hotel (as Director of Business Development). With over 18 years of experience in sales and marketing, he has negotiated high-profile RFPs and government contracts. Leslie has also worked with travel trade partners for European and Asian markets, participating in trade shows and exhibitions in collaboration with the Dubai Tourism Board. Leslie completed his BSc in 1994 from Christ College, Bangalore, and is fluent in English, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.
Vinod Suhag
Hotel Manager
Vinod is a highly accomplished professional with a passion for the hospitality industry. He graduated from Hotel Management in 2009 and quickly embarked on a remarkable career journey with prestigious luxury hotel chain, Oberoi Hotels, where he honed his skills and gained invaluable experience. Throughout his career, Vinod had the privilege of working with renowned establishments such as Taj, Dusit, Marriott, and Gloria hotels in the Middle East, holding senior management positions. His expertise lies in managing complex operations with a focus on delivering outstanding results. Vinod had successfully overseen hotels ranging from 200 to 2000 keys and had been involved in the pre-opening of seven hotels. Beyond his impressive professional achievements, he is a proactive collaborator within the hospitality, Education, Humanitarian Ambassador & Sustainability platforms such as Alpha Sights, Dynamic World Education Community, GGA UAE & personal initiative of planting over 2000 trees since 2003.
With his extensive experience, valuable insights, and multifaceted involvement, Vinod is an invaluable asset to the core team. His diverse skill set, coupled with his unwavering dedication to excellence, ensures that he is well-equipped to tackle any challenge and contribute significantly to the success of ventures in the hospitality industry and beyond.