After propelling Hyatt in Dubai to great heights as Area Vice President, Fathi Khogaly has added the title of Managing Director of Grand Hyatt Dubai to his remit.

As AVP, Khogaly’s leadership has been instrumental in expanding the Hyatt Hotels Dubai portfolio, which now boasts over 4,400 rooms, 50 restaurants, and some of the most extensive hotel meeting spaces in the area.

Khogaly’s vision aligns with the Department of Economy & Tourism’s goal to establish Dubai as a premier global tourism destination. His strategy emphasises people-centric leadership and innovative hospitality concepts. Starting in food and beverage service and advancing to sales and events, Khogaly has pioneered several successful initiatives, including popularising public Ramadan iftars in hotel ballrooms, a trend now common in Dubai hotels.
“I always believed that we need to run business in a different way”, says Khogaly. “We need to create demand, continue innovating, disrupt traditional hotel concepts and listen to our teams and guests”. He is one to always acknowledge others. “Throughout my career, it was always about the people,” he says. “My success is attributed to the great people that I had the chance to work with.”

When Khogaly first took over as general manager for Hyatt Regency Dubai, he prioritised ‘care’ for all associates working at the hotel.

Under his management, Hyatt Regency Dubai underwent significant improvements, including a complete overhaul of the back-of-house areas and the introduction of The Avenue, an innovative employee dining concept. This initiative was replicated at Grand Hyatt Dubai with the launch of the World of Hyatt Café in 2017, which included Studio H, a complimentary beauty salon for female staff. These concepts have set a benchmark for Hyatt Hotels globally, earning Khogaly Hyatt’s Purpose Award.
Khogaly’s approach extends beyond facility enhancements to fostering a culture of care and mentorship within his team, many of whom have advanced to GM and other leadership roles themselves. His focus on people has been a hallmark of his career and a key to his success.

In terms of property development, Khogaly is dedicated to ensuring that Hyatt’s flagship properties in Dubai not only meet but exceed customer expectations and stand out on a global level.

He stresses the importance of unique facilities to maintain a competitive edge. “Nowadays, most hotel room renovations just ensure that a hotel can maintain current business levels or possibly offer a small possibility of growth,” he explains. “Of course, we keep our room product updated, but the real growth is achieved through adding unique facilities to our hotels”.

For instance, Grand Hyatt Dubai’s massive Conference & Exhibition Centre, Hotel Ballroom, and Events Show Kitchen are just a few examples of how Hyatt Hotels Dubai can now compete at a global level.

“For some business enquiries, we don’t just compete with other hotels in Dubai anymore, we compete with cities all around the world” he highlights.
Khogaly’s dynamic and visionary approach has led to his appointment as a member of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

He is actively providing his expertise and input, to the Dubai Economy and Tourism department, to support Dubai’s Tourism development on a global scale.  One such initiative is the Grand Hyatt Dubai’s Conference & Exhibition Centre, designed to cater to global events and corporate meetings, bolstering the city’s position in the MICE segment.
Due to the venue’s infrastructure design, which was heavily influenced by his experience as director of events, the Grand Hyatt Dubai Conference & Exhibition Centre is one of Dubai’s most versatile event spaces, as it is directly connected to Baniyas Ballroom, the city’s largest hotel ballroom.

Since the venue opened in 2022, the type of requests received has completely changed Grand Hyatt Dubai’s approach to the MICE segment. The team now works hand in hand with other Hyatt properties, and other brands in the vicinity as well, to accommodate some of these mega-events and ensure that Dubai always has an edge when bidding against other destinations.

“First and foremost, Hyatt Hotels Dubai benefit from such unique facilities, as well as the surrounding properties. This contributes to further develop visitation to Dubai and is in line with the D33 agenda” shares Khogaly.

Constant reinventions and expansions
Currently, apart from the completion of various projects for Hyatt Hotels Dubai, there are 17 ongoing projects at Grand Hyatt Dubai alone.

From creating new outdoor event spaces and relocating the famous Grand Hyatt events tent to building one of the city’s best club lounge experiences, a project that is underway, alongside The Grand Hyatt Waterpark which, is “likely be the largest urban waterpark in the world.”

“We have great waterparks by the beach resorts already and now we will also open the first fully serviced 5-Star waterpark experience that is in the city-center, 10 minutes away from Burj Khalifa and the Dubai International Airport,” Khogaly remarks.
“We are re-imagining leisure experiences in Dubai at a good value for money” says EAM of sales & marketing Moritz Frings. “Thanks to Fathi’s leadership, Grand Hyatt Dubai will soon become one of the most unique urban resorts in the world, apart from already being one of the region’s leading conference hotels.”

The direction is clear; Hyatt Hotels Dubai has eyes on further growth, as we move forward. The portfolio will focus on improving the existing properties with a focus on MICE, leisure and luxury.

Once the waterpark is open for public, Khogaly’s unstoppable vision includes exciting future projects.

Looking back at his sterling achievements over the past decades, there is no doubt that all the more progress is set to follow soon.  This ethos is epitomised in one of his cherished quotes, prominently displayed at the entrance of the Hyatt Regency’s employee restaurant: “We are not here to merely observe history; we are here to forge it,” a statement that serves as a daily reminder and inspiration, encapsulating Khogaly’s philosophy of proactive and impactful leadership.

Source: https://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/