Selim el-Zyr

Company: Rotana Hotels
Position:Chief executive officer

Biography: Selim el-Zyr is CEO of Abu Dhabi-headquartered hospitality firm Rotana Hotels. It opened its first five-star property in the Kurdistan region of Iraq in January 2011. The Erbil Rotana is owned by the Malia Group and operated by Rotana.

El-Zyr co-founded Rotana Hotels in 1992. It was the first regional hotel chain and has a portfolio of more than 70 properties across the Middle East and Africa. Before establishing Rotana, he was vice-president for Abu Dhabi National Hotels and oversaw its operations in the UAE and overseas.

He moved to the UAE from Lebanon, where he had set up a fast-food chain in 1982. El-Zyr previously worked for the US’ Hilton International for 12 years, working in Germany, Spain, Egypt, Canada and the UAE. His first job was as chief steward at the Waldorf Hotel in New York. He graduated from Switzerland’s Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne.

Contact: (+971) 2 699 4435
Website: www.rotana.com

Updated: 21.06.13