Haitham Mattar is the MD for IHG Hotels & Resorts Middle East, Africa and Southwest Asia. (Supplied)
Haitham Mattar has seen the hospitality industry from every angle. He started as a dishwasher in Atlanta, rose through the ranks of global hotel giants, and today leads IHG Hotels & Resorts across the Middle East, Africa and Southwest Asia as its managing director. But beyond the impressive career journey, Mattar is on a mission to reshape regional tourism and inspire the next generation.
“I’ve been in hospitality for over 30 years,” he tells Gulf Business. “I actually stepped away for a while to head up tourism for Ras Al Khaimah, then advised Saudi Arabia, before coming back to IHG. I started right at the bottom, in the kitchen, scrubbing pots and pans, and I learned very quickly that no job is too small in hospitality. That’s why I wrote my book Pots and Pans and Five-Year Plans: it’s intended to inspire the younger generation to dream big.”
The book, published earlier this year, dives into resilience, navigating adversity, and building a fulfilling career, whether in hospitality or another industry. It charts Mattar’s story from his childhood in Lebanon during the civil war, to immigrating to the US at age five, and launching his career at the Courtyard by Marriott in Georgia.
“I started as a dishwasher,” he recalls. “I was 17 and just wanted a weekend job like my friends. I didn’t want to rely on my family for pocket money, so I took what I could get. But I was curious — how did the chef make breakfast? How could I master whatever role I had? That mindset stayed with me.”
From Marriott, Mattar eventually joined IHG, beginning with a role at the InterContinental Dubai on the Creek. “I started in rooms division, then became Director of Sales and Marketing. I stayed about five years before moving into a regional role covering East Africa. I left in 2011 to join Hilton, spent five years in Ras Al Khaimah, two years in Saudi, and now I’m back. This is my fifth year again with IHG,” he says. “Seems like I run on five-year cycles.”
Doubling down on Saudi
Today, Mattar oversees a vast region spanning the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. IHG currently operates 220 hotels in this footprint, with 180 more in the pipeline. The group is positioned to nearly double its regional presence in the next five years.
Saudi Arabia is the biggest growth driver. “We have 45 operating hotels in the Kingdom and another 49 in the pipeline. That’s over 100 per cent growth,” he says. “It’s also our 50th year in Saudi. We’ve had a presence there since 1975, and we continue to see momentum.”
In the UAE, IHG has 34 operational properties and 12 in development, representing 50 per cent growth. “Dubai remains attractive, particularly with ownership changes. New buyers often look to rebrand, and that gives us opportunities to bid,” says Mattar. “We’ve also signed Greenfield projects, including the world’s tallest hotel tower under our Vignette Collection brand.”
Despite a high volume of new supply, Dubai’s hotel occupancy rarely dips. “The city’s average occupancy has never dropped below 75 per cent. That’s a testament to the leadership’s strategy of aligning supply with demand,” he says.
Regional gaps and opportunities
Beyond the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Mattar sees mixed readiness across the rest of the GCC.
“Oman has huge potential — rich culture, great food, incredible nature. But they haven’t fully bounced back from COVID. Key markets like Germany and the UK haven’t returned in the same numbers,” he says. “There’s a new tourism minister and a solid strategy in place, so I’m optimistic.”
Kuwait, however, has not prioritised tourism yet. “There’s limited hotel development. We’re opening a new InterContinental soon and recently launched a Vignette Collection hotel on the beach, but it’s still mainly business travel.”
Bahrain sees modest volumes, primarily from weekend travellers coming from Saudi’s Eastern Province. As for Qatar, the post-World Cup environment has created new challenges.
“There’s a lot of supply in the market, but not yet a consistent 12-month events calendar to drive sustained demand,” Mattar explains. “Events tend to be last-minute, which causes spikes and dips in occupancy. We’d like to see more engagement between the tourism board and the private sector. There’s an opportunity for Qatar and the UAE to collaborate more on tourism. It’s just a short hop between the two.”
He also supports the upcoming unified GCC tourism visa. “It would be a game changer. Like the Schengen visa in Europe, a regional visa would allow travellers to explore multiple countries in one trip. Fly into Dubai, visit Doha, drive to Muscat — it’s all possible.”
The conscious traveller
Across all markets, Mattar is seeing a growing demand for sustainable travel. “Today’s traveller wants to stay in hotels that practise what they preach on sustainability. They want to be part of the journey,” he says.
IHG’s Journey to Tomorrow is a 10-year global sustainability plan, and the group has embraced it across the region. “Over 85 per cent of our hotels in this region have adopted practices like water conservation, LED lighting, and energy-efficient room management systems,” says Mattar.
One example is in-house water bottling to eliminate plastic waste. Another is IHG’s Green Engage programme, which provides hotel managers with more than 200 actions to reduce carbon footprint and energy usage. “Many of our properties now have intelligent in-room systems that regulate air conditioning, lighting, and energy consumption based on guest behaviour,” he explains.
“Guests notice the details. They ask questions. They expect no single-use plastics. They want towels reused, not washed daily. Sustainability is now part of the decision-making process.”
Market insights
When it comes to the UAE’s top source markets, India leads year-round, followed by the UK, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, and the US. “The US is especially strong for conferences,” Mattar says.
In Saudi Arabia, the guest mix is highly diverse. “The holy cities attract Muslims from all over the world — China, the US, the UK. But we’re also seeing more interest from American and European travellers who are curious about Saudi’s transformation.”
India continues to be a key market for Saudi Arabia as well. “We’re seeing more visiting friends and relatives traffic. That helps the wider ecosystem because people spend on malls, restaurants, and entertainment — not just hotel rooms.”
Looking ahead
With rising tourism targets in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Mattar believes collaboration is essential.
“Whether it’s sustainable travel, regional integration, or just offering great experiences, we all have a role to play,” he says. “Our job is to help people dream big — whether they’re checking in as a guest or starting out in their career like I did.”
