Marriott International has appointed Michel Nader as its Area Vice President for the United Arab Emirates. In his new role, Nader will oversee the company’s operations in the country which currently features 60 operating hotels and over 16,000 rooms across 20 brands.
Nader will take on his role as Area Vice President for the UAE from Sandeep Walia, who will move into his role as Chief Operating Officer for the Middle East on July 1, 2021.
“Michel is an experienced leader who is well-respected by his colleagues and ownership groups, and we are delighted to have him lead our operations for the UAE,” said Sandeep Walia, the upcoming Chief Operating Officer for Marriott International in the Middle East. “With his extensive knowledge and experience, we look forward to building on the positive momentum and incredible results the team has achieved in the UAE.”
Nader brings with him over 20 years of international experience in the hotel industry and most recently was the Market Vice President for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt for Marriott International. Prior to that, he was the Area Vice President for the North Africa Region for the company.
A third-generation hotelier, Nader joined Marriott in 1999 as Assistant Food & Beverage Manager at the Le Bristol, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Lebanon, before moving to the Sheraton Coral Beach as Food & Beverage Manager. In 2004, he took on a new challenge as Director of Six Sigma, Black Belt at the Sheraton Mencey and Sheraton La Caleta in the Canary Islands.
He took on his first General Manager role in 2006, opening the Hotel Marques de Riscal, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Elciego, Spain. He was then appointed to renovate and run the iconic Hotel Maria Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel in San Sebastian.
He moved to the UAE in 2013 to take on the role of General Manager of the Aloft Abu Dhabi, while overlooking a total of eight hotels in the Capital as Area General Manager.
Nader is a graduate of Centre International de Glion in Switzerland.
