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Meet Saudi Arabia’s first female GM

At a time in our competitive industry when outside-the-box thinking is all but a requirement, the eight professionals that HOTELS will feature in the coming weeks can inspire you to think differently. First up: Maram Kokandi, who has made history as the first female hotel general manager in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Stay tuned each week for another profile of a hotelier challenging the status quo — they’re all featured in HOTELS People Issue, publishing in April.

 


Maram Kokandi was relaxing with a friend on a Thursday evening last year when she received the job offer that would change her life: to be general manager of a new Park Inn by Radisson in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The appointment made her the first Saudi woman to become a general manager in the hospitality industry.

“That was a big moment for me,” Kokandi recalls. She was amazed by the number of congratulatory messages she received online when Radisson parent Rezidor Hotel Group announced her appointment. “The news picked up traction on social media.”

 


Contributed by Judith Crown 


Kokandi’s appointment complemented the Saudi government’s Vision 2030 program launched in 2016 to diversify the kingdom’s economy and open opportunities for women, Rezidor said in the announcement.

Saudi labor laws historically barred the mixing of men and women in the workplace but restrictions gradually have been eased. Kokandi benefited from a Rezidor leadership program to develop female talent: The company says it has increased the number of female workers at its hotels in Saudi Arabia to 102 from six just four years ago, and it employs 21 Saudi women in leadership positions.

Maram Kokandi, general manager of the Park Inn by Radisson in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: "I want to support the generation coming behind me - be a good example for them."
Maram Kokandi, general manager of the Park Inn by Radisson in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: “I want to support the generation coming behind me – be a good example for them.”

Park Inn is Rezidor’s fast-growing midscale chain. Brussels-based Rezidor manages the Radisson brand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It has 35 properties in Saudi Arabia open or in development under the Park Inn and Radisson banners.

Kokandi, 38, will launch the first Park Inn in Jeddah – a gateway to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The property, set to open by the end of the year, will have 84 keys, a restaurant, two cafes, an outdoor swimming pool, a business center and three meeting rooms. It expects to attract religious tourists as well as a mix of business and leisure travelers.

Challenges and ‘patience’

A native of Jeddah, Kokandi says her parents were open-minded and encouraged her in her career. She traveled frequently with her family, which sparked her interest in hotels.

One of her first professional positions brought out her resourcefulness. As a sales manager for a Rosewood hotel in Jeddah, she was responsible for events booked by the government and the royal family. “That was a challenge because women at the time weren’t allowed to enter a government building without a male relative such as a father or brother,” she says. She got around the restriction by conducting business over the phone and then inviting her clients to visit her hotel for presentations. “I developed relationships with decision-makers and built my database,” Kokandi says.

At her next sales job, for a Dubai-based hotel in Jeddah, she befriended the Saudi minister for tourism, Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, president and board chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. The minister helped Kokandi seek and win a scholarship under a government program to encourage more Saudi nationals to enter the hospitality industry.

Kokandi had studied business administration at a Saudi university but at age 29 she headed to the United Kingdom to study hospitality and tourism management, first at Oxford Brooks University, then London Metropolitan University and finally Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales.

The education was wide-ranging – she studied art in the Victorian era, politics and cinema. “We learned about everything because in hospitality you can work in any sector and go anywhere in the world,” she says. “The world is one global village.”

On her return she worked for UAE real estate developer Emaar Properties and was accepted to Radisson’s leadership development program, which led to her general manager appointment. Now Kokandi is preparing for the hotel’s opening – hiring and training staff, marketing the property and planning the opening logistics. “

“The pre-opening period of a hotel can be challenging with so many deliverables to meet, in addition to the recruitment of the entire hotel team,” says Basel Talal, Rezidor’s regional director for Saudi Arabia. “Maram has shown great skill in involving the team in the entire process.” She’s not afraid to make mistakes and learns from the experiences along the way, Talal adds.

In her free time, Kokandi enjoys spending time with her family, reading and shopping. She looks for variations of the traditional abaya and has even designed her own garments.

Reflecting on her progress in a male-dominated society, Kokandi notes she has been lucky to be accepted. “I want to support the generation coming behind me,” she says. “You have to be very patient in this journey. It’s not easy.”

A rendering of the lobby of the Park Inn by Radisson in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
A rendering of the lobby of the Park Inn by Radisson in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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