Rotana
Logo-Rotana

Rotana

Address:
Erbil Rotana: Iraq, Erbil, Gulan St.44001
Contact Numbers:
Manager: Philip Barnes

About Us

Welcome to the World of Rotana

About Rotana

Since its inception, Rotana has grown to become the largest hospitality management company in the region, a brand widely recognized and deeply admired.

Rotana’s strategic development is led by a team of professionals with exceptional international experience and a profound understanding of the cultures and communities of the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Türkiye. The remarkable growth in Rotana properties stems from a consistent commitment to "getting it right" the first time, every time. The ultimate goal? To have a property in every country in the region.

This ambitious plan is well underway. By the end of 2025, Rotana aims to increase its portfolio from two properties in 1993 to 100 operational properties.

Visionary Leadership

Rotana is a dream brought to life through visionary leadership.

The journey began in 1978 when Nasser Al Nowais met Selim El Zyr. Sharing a common dream of creating a regional hospitality group capable of developing world-class hotels, their friendship laid the foundation for Rotana.

Rotana’s first property, the Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi, opened in 1993. Today, Rotana is one of the leading hotel management companies across the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Türkiye.

The company blends a deep understanding of Middle Eastern culture with the collective expertise of a seasoned executive team. Rotana plans to expand its presence to over 100 properties by 2025, with many projects in the pipeline to ensure a Rotana-managed property in every major city in the region.

The Rotana Life

Rotana's success is deeply rooted in enduring partnerships and genuine friendships. These relationships, built on loyalty and integrity, define who Rotana is. For those who know Rotana, it’s a bond that lasts a lifetime.

To consistently deliver on its brand promise, Rotana has articulated a set of values known as "The Rotana Life." These values, represented by the acronym LIFE, reflect the company’s character and drive its culture:

  • L - Long-term: Building lifelong relationships with owners, partners, colleagues, and guests. Rotana focuses on delivering unforgettable moments.
  • I - Innovative: Embracing individuality by creating tailored experiences that meet the diverse needs of stakeholders.
  • F - Friendly: Passionate about providing genuine, friendly experiences, with time and care given to everyone as they would for a friend.
  • E - Ethical: Acting with integrity and respect in every interaction, ensuring fairness and honesty in all actions.

Services

 Technical Services-Rotana
Technical Services
Literally from the ground up, we ensure the success of all Rotana properties by complementing a powerful management mix with our design-planning and building management expertise. Never forgetting a healthy dose of common sense, our approach to every...
Sustainability-Rotana
Sustainability
We recognised that the allure of our properties lies in their pristine environments, happy communities and prosperous markets. We have therefore introduced a three-pronged approach to sustainability, which addresses not only our local environments, b...
Finance & Procurement-Rotana
Finance & Procurement
Two words come to mind when describing Rotana’s system of financial management and procurement —transparency and control. Through our highly advanced information systems and two-tier audit process, we ensure that our management and operations perform...
Projects & Development-Rotana
Projects & Development
Placing sector-leading returns for our property owners at the core of our financial strategy, we have fine-tuned our approach to continually achieving this goal. Rotana’s Projects Department has been especially created to: Optimise operational effic...
Franchising-Rotana
Franchising
The Hotel Franchise Solution by Rotana THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Would you prefer to feel that your property is truly your own but with the support on hand from an established company and brand? At Rotana, our franchise solution has been specially cr...
Food & Beverage-Rotana
Food & Beverage
Rotana prides itself on having developed some of the most talked-about, wholly-owned food and beverage venues in the region. Whether it is an internationally-renowned outlet helmed by a Michelin-starred chef, or a home-grown concept that blazes a cu...
ROTANA REWARDS-Rotana
ROTANA REWARDS
We value our guests’ loyalty, that is why, in 1999, we launched the region’s first loyalty programme for staying and dining. Rotana Rewards, recognised as one of the world’s most rewarding loyalty programmes, offers leisure and business guests, as we...
Human Resources-Rotana
Human Resources
Our Human Resource infrastructure is deployed across the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Türkiye. A rigorous hiring process ensures our team is amongst the top tier in the industry. Established in a region that is truly at the crossroads of t...
Commercial-Rotana
Commercial
Born out of a region that has seen year-on-year growth in the hospitality industry, Rotana has competitively set itself apart with strategic growth and distinct branding. With an astute cultural understanding of the Middle East, Rotana has establishe...
Information Technology-Rotana
Information Technology
Technological innovation at Rotana properties has a very customer-centric approach. We analyse how our guests interact with the brand before, during and after their stay. Through this evaluation we create tech solutions that will visibly and subtly e...

Business Partners

Edge
Edge
The Residences
The Residences
Centro Hotels
Centro Hotels
Arjaan Hotel Apartments
Arjaan Hotel Apartments
Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts
Rayhaan Hotels & Resorts
Rotana Hotels & Resorts
Rotana Hotels & Resorts

Our Team

Nasser Al Nowais
Apart from being the co-founder of Rotana , Nasser is a prominent figure in the world of hospitality and tourism, and has led the way for regional growth within these sectors. As founder and chairman of Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH) for 14 years, the largest hotel and industrial catering company, Nasser gained invaluable experience and insights within the hospitality industry. He has managed key investments in tourism, agriculture, industry, and infrastructure projects in the Middle East and Africa, as the Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Fund. Other notable posts include Under Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Industry of the UAE government in 1992 as well as various roles in the world of banking. Nasser is an economist and a graduate of New York University.
Selim El Zyr
With a career in hospitality spanning three continents, Selim has worked with some of the leading hotel groups around the world. After completion of his postgraduate studies, Selim was Chief Steward at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. At Hilton International, he spent 12 years working in Germany, Spain, Egypt, Canada and the UAE, gaining the title of Regional Director. In 1982, Selim shifted his focus to industrial catering and then established a leading Lebanese fast food chain. A move back to the UAE as Vice President of Operations at Palmariva Hotels, part of Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH), paved the road to co-founding Rotana in 1992. Selim graduated from École Hôtelière de Lausanne in 1970 and completed his postgraduate degree at Cornell University.
Nael Hashweh
Specialising in financial management for the hospitality industry, Nael’s expertise has provided the cornerstone for sound financial planning at Rotana. Having spent 11 years with Intercontinental Group, Nael joined Abu Dhabi National Hotel Company (ADNHC) as head of Finance where he was directly responsible for the finance and administration as well as operations and controls departments. While at ADNHC, Nael oversaw the project assessments of properties in 20 countries spanning Europe, Middle East and North Africa. Nael joined Rotana in 1995 as Chief Financial Officer and retired in 2009.
Hussain J Al Nowais
A UAE national born and raised in Abu Dhabi, Hussain has over 30 years of experience in acquiring and establishing new businesses across industries as diverse as banking, finance, investment, hospitality, real estate, energy and industrial and project development. He is currently the Chairman of Al Nowais Investments, AMEA Power and Vice Chairman of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB). Until recently he was Chairman of Waha Capital and Khalifa Fund for Enterprises Development. Hussain studied Business Administration at Lewis & Clark College.
Riad Kamal
Riad is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Arabtec Construction and CEO of Arabtec Holding. With operations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, KSA, Doha, Karachi, Damascus and St. Peterburg, Arabtec is a public listed company and one of the five largest contractors in the MENA region known for creating landmarks such as Burj Khalifa. Riad received a Masters Degree in Structural Engineering from the Imperial College of London. Riad proudly serves as board member of Arab National Bank (KSA), Gulf Capital (Abu Dhabi), Arabia Insurance (Lebanon) and Turkland Bank (Istanbul). He also serves on the Board of Trustees of The American University of Beirut.
Location

Location