January saw the departure of Rotana Hotels’ co-founder after 28 years of progress. Rotana’s first hotel, Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi, was opened in 1992 and the hotelier now has a portfolio of 85 properties across 26 countries.

DOTW News spoke with Mr. El Zyr at a surprise farewell at the Beach Rotana hotel – where it all began.

You’ve spent almost three decades building this company and enjoying its success. Now you’re here to say goodbye and officially hand over the reins to for COO, Omer Kaddouri. How do you feel?

"I have a feeling that I have contributed to the success of this company and in helping people to build their careers – but they have helped me build mine. This is not a one-man job. It takes many people to build a company and the dream has been fulfilled until now, but the dream is bigger than what we see before us today."

The Rotana palm logo has become immediately recognisable across the region. What does your branding mean – and where did the concept come from?

"The palm tree is our logo. The palm tree gives you both warmth and shade from the sun – it’s a shelter. For anyone who comes under the tree in the desert, it’s a blessing. What we say, with the spirit of that logo, is that we are the date that gives you pleasure, endurance and that you need.

We wanted to have something different that was different but easy for Arabs and the western world to pronounce. It doesn’t brand us as an Arab company, but it’s left to the imagination of the reader."

When you started this journey in 1992, did you know what you would achieve all these years later?

"I knew from day one. The way we worked from day one was to make a sustainable company that would live beyond us. I did not want to build a company that would go when I’m gone. We’ve built policies here and the administration and now everybody here is working long-term. What I wanted to put in everyone’s mind is that we don’t want to look at what is going to happen tomorrow, but at what is 10 or 20 years from now.

It’s always in my mind to focus long-term. When a customer comes to us, we don’t want to take them for granted – we want to build a long-term relationship. We want employees that join Rotana to believe that this is a journey and not a job for one or two years.

I can modestly say that we have achieved this. In our corporate office we have 12 vice presidents and 10 have been with us for around 15 years. This is rare. The staff turnover that you see in this region has been very well managed."

There must be a plethora of proud moments and landmark milestones. Which stand out in your mind?

"I’m very proud. There are many. Every milestone has been a pleasure – it has been a succession of good moves that have built this momentum, but this is not the end. We are far from our ultimate goals and targets. But every time we pause, we celebrate and think about what we’ve done and how we can learn in order to move to the next phase.

The next phase is to become a 100-hotel company. It’s not easy when you’re building one at a time – we’ve not acquired other companies with their own buildings, but we’re building the wall brick by brick."

What destinations are you looking forward to visiting – for pleasure, not business?

"I will still travel on business but many places fascinate me – I’m easy to please. I can discover the best part of any location.  I’ve never been to Australia or South America.

We will not stop. We’ll continue pursuing opportunities in Africa and other parts of the world. We’re scouting locations in Congo, Mozambique and Nigeria."

El Zyr will continue to serve in an advisory role as the Vice Chairman of the Board moving forward