Ali Manzoor, associate partner, Knight Frank has confirmed his support of this year’s Leaders in Hospitality Awards by confirming his place on the judging panel.
Manzoor has been in the Middle East since 2011 and has been primarily working on hospitality development projects throughout the MENA region. In this time he has worked with developers, investors and governmental institutions on market entry strategies, concept 
definition, operator selection, feasibility studies and optimum site use for both large-scale multi-use projects and stand-alone assets. Prior to moving into hospitality development advisory, Ali worked in the luxury hospitality industry in London.
What are you looking to find in a Hospitality Leaders Awards winner?
The notions of ‘going the extra mile’ and ‘exceeding expectations’ are embedded in the DNA of industry professionals, so in order to gain recognition, individuals have to be truly extraordinary. For this reason, I feel that those who are able to innovate – in the sense of value creation and value capture – will be the ones that are most interesting.
What category are you most excited about and why?
I think that the awareness of how crucial the mid-market hotel sector is in driving Dubai’s hospitality industry has been increasing rapidly, and this is a topic that is close to my heart. Consequently, I am most interested in the best mid-market hotel category and look forward to finding out more about the various entrants.
Why are awards like these important for the industry?
Awards like these are instrumental in promoting best in class ideas and practices. Through such events, we can learn from our industry peers while giving recognition to those who are able to innovate.
For all nominations please contact: hnmesocial@bncpublishing.net and for all commercial enquiries please contact: dom@bncpublishing.net
