In this special Breaking Travel News feature, we got to sit down with HSMAI Middle East’s three newly crowned Rockstars, Nawfal Mbamba, Kuda Mukonoweshuro, and Hasan Khan.

Each brings a distinctive approach to innovation, from elevating product storytelling and unlocking demand in tertiary markets to reshaping F and B performance through real time intelligence. Together they represent a new generation of commercial leaders whose ideas are already influencing how hotels think, operate, and grow. Their insights reveal the challenges they set out to solve, the inspiration behind their winning concepts, and the impact their work is making across the region’s hospitality landscape.

Read on as they take us inside their award winning pitches and share the lessons, breakthroughs, and ambitions shaping their journey.

Nawfal Mbamba
Bio: Nawfal Mbamba is a hospitality marketing professional with more than seven years of experience supporting marcomms growth for luxury resorts across the Middle East. His work focuses on thoughtful storytelling, strategic digital engagement, and building meaningful visibility for destinations. Throughout his career, he has helped shape innovative campaigns, support homegrown talent, and strengthen collaboration between operations, culinary, and commercial teams. Nawfal currently leads marketing and communications at Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara, where he is committed to elevating the guest experience through creativity, cultural insight, and data-driven strategy.

1. What problem were you solving with your pitch?

I wanted to present a commercial case study in a way that felt fresh and relatable, even though I was using pop culture references heavily promoted on TikTok that might not resonate with a more mature audience. My challenge was finding the right balance between humour and professionalism. It was also my first time pitching to such a large audience, so I practiced almost daily to make sure the delivery felt natural, confident, and inclusive.

2. What inspired the idea?

The chocolate itself. It was such a unique product rooted in culture and flavour that the storytelling needed to match its personality. I wanted to showcase it in a way that felt fun, engaging, and memorable, and that would stand out from more traditional presentations.

3. What makes your solution stand out?

I used light comedic elements alongside facts and figures, which allowed the data to support the narrative without overshadowing it. The pitch relied on storytelling rather than slides, and the visuals that were used helped reinforce key moments instead of distracting from them. To keep the audience engaged, I also incorporated an interactive element by hiding a few chocolate bars underneath selected seats for the audience to discover at the end. This combination of emotion, creativity, interactivity, and clear commercial results made the presentation feel approachable and different.

4. How will it impact your hotel or the wider industry?

The project now serves as a strong case study in how a simple product, when supported by creativity and collaboration between departments, can deliver commercial impact. It highlights the power of marketing working closely with culinary, F&B, and operations to create something that elevates both the resort and the destination.

5. What is the biggest lesson you learned during the process?

That using trends in a meaningful way can spark both media attention and revenue. It is less about copying what is popular and more about adapting a trend in a way that feels authentic to your product and your audience.

6. Who supported or influenced you along the way?

I was fortunate to have strong support from my team at MINOR, especially Hana Fuchs, Regional Director of Marketing, and Camilla Coburn Davis, Regional Director of PR. Our General Manager, Andrea Orru, also championed the project from the beginning. I also want to highlight the guidance of Kim Iskandar from HSMAI, who provided constructive feedback each week and helped me shape the pitch into something more confident and impactful. Her coaching played an important role in how well the final delivery came together.

7. What excites you most about hospitality in 2026?

I am excited to see technology and sustainability becoming more practical and accessible for hotels. Simple tools are now helping us personalise guest experiences, reduce waste, and run operations more efficiently. It feels like the industry is moving toward solutions that are smarter, greener, and still very human, which is exactly where hospitality should be heading.

8. How are you using AI in your work today?

AI has become a useful tool, especially in marketing for building mood boards, planning shot lists for photo and video productions, and supporting language translation before final review by native speakers. It helps speed up creative processes and offers new ways to visualise ideas. The possibilities are endless.

9. What advice would you give to someone entering next year’s competition?

As cliché as it may sound, do not be afraid to think differently. Be original and bring your personality into the pitch. The ideas that stand out are often the ones that feel the most authentic.

10. What is the next step for your winning idea?

We are still exploring its future, but we have already been approached by several interesting partners who see potential in taking the chocolate to the next level. What began as a seasonal activation now looks set to continue throughout 2025 and beyond.

11. If you had a personal theme song for 2025, what would it be and why?

The timing could not be better because Spotify Wrapped was just released. I have been using the music streaming platform almost religiously since 2014, and it’s the one day in the year when people look forward to seeing their top artists and genres and overall time spent listening to their favs, no matter how embarrassing they might be. While I will not reveal my full list, I can admit that Addison Rae appeared in my Wrapped this year. Her song “Headphones On” has a line that stays with me: “I know the lows are what make the highs higher… life is no fun through clear waters.” It is a reminder that perspective matters. Challenges shape growth, and they often make the rewarding moments feel even more meaningful.

KUDA MUKONOWESHURO

Bio – Kuda Kudakwashe Mukonoweshuro is the Director of Sales at Radisson Dubai DAMAC Hills. Recognized as a 2025 Hotelier Middle East Sales Person of the Year finalist and HSMAI MEA ROCKSTAR, Kuda is known for his commercial acumen, leadership, and ability to turn challenging environments into high performing assets.
Since the hotel’s opening in a tertiary location, Kuda has been instrumental in transforming Radisson Dubai DAMAC Hills into one of Radisson Hotel Group’s strongest performers in the region. Through a focused commercial playbook, building a resilient long stay base, strategically shifting to high yield segments, targeting for the Chinese business traveler, and elevating F&B through a strong quality and service driven culture, he helped the property achieve TripAdvisor wins across the entire hotel and its outlets, five consecutive years of budget outperformance, and an exceptional 42% GOP.
With over 13 years of hospitality experience across the UAE, Kuda has developed deep expertise in Corporate, MICE, and Leisure sales. He is skilled in strategic sales planning, market development, and leading high-performing multicultural teams. His leadership philosophy is grounded in the belief that “the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not followers.”

1. What problem were you solving with your pitch?

We were solving the challenge of demand creation in a tertiary location. A hotel with no walk-in potential, no natural footfall, and very limited guaranteed business. The pitch addressed how to build sustainable, high-yield revenue streams in a market where traditional commercial levers don’t work.

2. What inspired the idea?

The idea was inspired by necessity. When you open a hotel in a location the market doubts, you either inherit its limitations or you rewrite the rules. We chose the latter. Our inspiration came from understanding our guests deeply, analyzing micro-behaviors, and creating solutions around their real needs, not industry assumptions.

3. What makes your solution stand out?

It stands out because it is simple, scalable, and built without heavy budgets. We didn’t rely on capex or ideal conditions. We leveraged creativity, localization, and disciplined commercial strategy to turn constraints into competitive advantages. We also focused on our service culture, & quality F&B offering, two strengths that cannot be replicated easily, & quickly by our competition!

4. How will it impact your hotel or the wider industry?

It proves that tertiary locations can become high-performing destinations when approached with intention. For the industry, it challenges the outdated belief that success is tied to prime addresses. Radisson Dubai DAMAC Hills demonstrates that profitability can be engineered through smarter segmentation, deeper localization, a strong service culture, high quality F&B, and operational agility, evidenced by FireLake Grill Restaurant, ISSEI Dubai, and The Hills Pool Deck, all ranked among the top 2% of restaurants in Dubai on TripAdvisor.

5. What is the biggest lesson you learned during the process?

That perception is not reality. The market will always have a narrative, but it’s our responsibility to shape a new one. With the right team and strategy, limitations are simply unpolished opportunities.

6. Who supported or influenced you along the way?

We were a lean but powerful team built on ownership, not hierarchy. Across Sales, Operations, and F&B, every colleague added ideas, energy, and resilience. And with the unwavering support of our General Manager, Sid Sattanathan, plus teammates who challenged and inspired us, we created something bigger than any one department.

7. What excites you most about hospitality in 2026?

The shift toward experience led travel and the rise of non-traditional demand channels. Secondary and tertiary locations will continue to grow, and hotels that innovate locally will own their markets. The biggest wins will come from creativity, not location.

8. How are you using AI in your work today?

AI plays an increasingly valuable role in how we operate at Radisson Dubai DAMAC Hills. We leverage it for smarter forecasting, enhanced pricing decisions, guest-sentiment analysis, and productivity tools that streamline communication and reporting. It has become an accelerator in our workflow hence enabling the team to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time focusing on strategy, guest engagement, and relationship-building.

9. What advice would you give someone entering next year’s competition?

Pick a problem that genuinely matters, not a trending topic. Simplify your message. Most importantly, show your results. Data builds credibility, but storytelling builds connection. Combine both.

10. What is the next step for your winning idea?

To scale the playbook by refining our long-stay model, continue fine tuning our segments to drive emerging markets, and embedding a stronger performance culture within our teams. The goal is to make this framework replicable across similar hotels in the region for Radisson Hotel Group, & an opportunity presents itself from January 1st 2026, when we add the Park Inn Dubai Motor City under our team’s management in a new Cluster.

11. If you had a personal theme song for 2025, what would it be and why?

“Started From the Bottom” by Drake. This is because it reflects the journey perfectly. We began in a place the market underestimated, and through purpose and discipline, we built something powerful from the ground up.

HASAN KHAN

Bio: I am Reservation Manager and Revenue Analyst with 12 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Having worked with leading brands such as Marriott and Hilton, specialises in turning data into smart commercial strategies. Created Smart Bites, a real-time menu optimisation concept that boosts revenue, reduces waste, and elevates guest satisfaction.
Hasan Khan | Team Revenue |Radisson Hotel and Apartments, Dammam Industrial City

1. What problem were you solving with your pitch?

I aimed to solve the issue of static, outdated menus that underperform both financially and operationally. Many dishes stayed on the menu long after their peak, leading to unnecessary food waste, missed revenue opportunities, and a dining experience that didn’t reflect what guests actually wanted in real time. Smart Bites tackles all three by making menus dynamic, responsive, and data-driven.

2. What inspired the idea?

The idea actually came from a dinner with my mom. She looked around the restaurant and asked, “Why are the tables empty?” I shrugged and said, “How do I know?”
She replied, “Find out what your guests really want — give them that, and they’ll fill the tables themselves.”
That moment hit me. The next day, I reviewed our menu performance and realised she was right — we weren’t fully listening to our guests in real time. That simple conversation with my mom became the inspiration behind Smart Bites.

3. What makes your solution stand out?

Smart Bites blends real-time guest feedback, sales insights, and margin analysis into one practical framework hotels can use daily. It’s simple, fast, and actionable. Instead of complex dashboards that get looked at once a month, it empowers F&B teams to adjust menus, pricing, and upselling strategies in real time — no waiting, no guesswork.

4. How will it impact your hotel or the wider industry?

It elevates F&B from being reactive to being strategically proactive. For hotels, that means higher margins, happier guests, and lower waste. For the industry, it promotes a mindset shift toward real-time, data-driven decision-making — something essential as sustainability and profitability become increasingly linked.

5. What is the biggest lesson you learned during the process?

The biggest lesson was that innovation doesn’t always require a new technology — sometimes it just needs a new perspective. The data was already there; the breakthrough was connecting it to daily decisions in a way that teams could execute consistently.

6. Who supported or influenced you along the way?

The hotel teams who were open to experimenting with the concept. Their feedback shaped the framework, and their willingness to adopt real-time changes made the results possible.

7. What excites you most about hospitality in 2026?

The continued blending of human service with intelligent automation. We’re moving toward operations where teams are empowered by insights, not overwhelmed by them — and guests feel both understood and delighted. It’s an exciting balance of tech-enabled precision and genuine human warmth.

8. How are you using AI in your work today?

AI helps me analyse trends faster, extract insights from large datasets, and simulate revenue outcomes. It shortens the time between identifying an issue and implementing a solution, which is essential for real-time optimisation like Smart Bites.

9. What advice would you give someone entering next year’s competition?

What real problem in your hotel would people be genuinely relieved to solve? Build from there. And remember — clarity beats complexity. A practical idea executed well is always more powerful than a complex idea that never gets adopted.

10. What is the next step for your winning idea?

The next step is to expand Smart Bites into a scalable toolkit that can be rolled out across more hotels — including dashboards, SOPs, and staff training modules. The goal is to make real-time menu optimisation a habit, not a project.

11. Fun Question: If you had a personal theme song for 2025, what would it be and why?

“Hall of Fame” by The Script. Because 2025 has been a year of turning insights into impact — taking a simple idea, shaping it with data, and watching it earn real recognition. The song reflects the drive, ambition, and belief that hard work and smart analysis can lead to powerful results.