Marriott to put sustainability at heart of Saudi projects as it announces Trojena hotels
Updated 02 October 2023
Reina Takla Mohammed Kinani
RIYADH: In line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, hospitality group Marriott plans to make sustainability a key pillar of its projects in the Kingdom, said one of its top executives.
Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the Future Hospitality Summit in Abu Dhabi, Sandeep Walia, chief operations officer of Marriot International Middle East, said the company is working to reduce carbon emissions, cut food waste, and ensure the use of renewable energy in its projects.
“Vision 2030, for instance, is focused on a big pillar (such as) sustainability ... Marriott is equally focused on sustainability. So, we have different elements to it, whether it is food waste reduction by 50 percent or whether it is renewable energy ... to get to 30 percent,” said Walia.
He also pointed out that the company is testing how to get the most benefit from clean energy.
“We have done different experiments. So, one of the Marriott hotels in Riyadh put solar panels on their roof to see how we can use solar energy, which has been a big success. In fact, a lot of hotels are experimenting, and the results are very encouraging,” Walia said.
The hospitality giant has been present in the Kingdom for four decades, with 36 open hotels and an equal number in different project stages.
“It is nice and interesting to see hotels in Saudi Arabia changing from business travel endpoints to leisure destinations, and that’s why it is important to have about 36 projects in the making,” he said.
Commenting on Saudization in the sector, he believed it has brought much positive change to the country.
“I was talking about how important people are. We are starting to see young Saudi nationals work in our hotels. So today, out of the 36 open hotels we spoke about, more than 45 percent of the people making the workforce are Saudi nationals,” he said.
Walia added that his company is focusing on employing Saudi people in top leadership positions.
“We have a group of high-performing leaders who we feel can be hotel managers or general managers in the next two years because we feel that it would be great to have hotels that are led by Saudi nationals, which is a big focus for us,” he said.
The interview came as Marriott International announced hotels from two of its brands are to be built in NEOM’s mountain destination, Trojena.
A W Hotel will be constructed along with a JW Marriott facility in a solidifying of the partnership between the hospitality giant and the giga-project.
The opening of these new hotels aligns with Trojena’s mission to redefine mountain tourism on a global scale, embracing the ethos of ecotourism and setting a new standard for sustainable luxury, according to a statement.
Artificial intelligence is transitioning into a ‘digital employee’
AI can be an effective tool, business leaders tell Arab News
Not about jobs, but ‘convergence of human capital and AI’
Updated 57 min 29 sec ago
Hebshi Alshammari
RIYADH: Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the world of work, transitioning from a supporting tool to an active partner that is radically changing the nature of professions and productivity standards.
Amidst the current global transformations, an active regional digital environment is emerging.
This is being led by Saudi Arabia through Vision 2030 and massive investments in smart infrastructure, providing a living model for studying the implications of this partnership between humans and machines on the future of work in the region.
Arab News spoke to various business leaders about the emerging shape of the sector.
Salem Bagami, co-founder of Metatalent, said the ideal relationship between humans and machines at work should be complementary and collaborative.
Humans would bring creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex decision-making, while machines excel at processing big data and performing repetitive, precise tasks.
He believes that this type of balanced partnership would lead to unprecedented productivity and innovation.
While machines excel at processing big data and performing repetitive, precise tasks, humans would bring creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex decision-making. (Supplied)
Mohammad Al-Jallad, chief technologist and director at HPE, said AI has gone beyond being merely an executive tool to becoming a “digital employee” entrusted with automating routine tasks and providing insights based on data analysis.
He believes that the real opportunity lies not in the debate over job replacement, but in “the convergence of human capital and artificial intelligence.”
AI should augment human teams by taking on menial and routine tasks, enabling employees to focus on critical thinking, creativity, and ethical reasoning, significantly improving operational results.
Bagami also emphasized the complementary nature of this partnership. “The ideal relationship between humans and machines at work is one of collaboration, where each complements the others.”
He explained that humans bring creativity, emotional intelligence, and nuanced decision-making, while machines excel at processing big data and performing repetitive tasks efficiently, leading to increased productivity and innovation.
Opinion
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Salem Alanazi, chairman of Jathwa Technology Co., notes a significant trend among Saudi Arabia companies toward using AI applications to provide faster services to customers at lower costs.
The emergence of the “virtual employee” available around the clock has eliminated the need for some traditional jobs in specific sectors.
Alanazi warns that some companies’ reluctance to adopt AI may expose them to real risks. “All those who hesitated to benefit from AI applications have a lack of understanding of these technologies.”
He said those who adopt these technologies will be able to offer lower-cost, higher-quality services, which will affect the market position of companies that lag behind.
Ali Aljumhour, CEO of VALUE Consultancy, said that the transition of AI into a partner has reshaped the list of most in-demand skills in the job market.
Skills such as “prompt engineering,” “human-machine integration,” and “digital ethics” are becoming increasingly important.
He added that AI has become an instantly available “technical knowledge base,” shifting the criteria for professional distinction toward those capable of smart interaction with these technologies.
In terms of ethics, transparency, and trust, Alanazi points to the complexities of global AI governance, where legislation overlaps and evolves rapidly to keep pace with potential risks, particularly in the areas of cybersecurity and privacy.
Ali Aljumhour, CEO of VALUE Consultancy. (Supplied)
Al-Jallad emphasizes this crucial dimension, noting that providing responsible and reliable AI solutions that meet the highest standards of transparency is a key priority, especially in regulated sectors.
Bagami believes there should be basic standards for the ethical use of Al, emphasizing the need for transparency, accountability, and fairness, along with using diverse data sets to prevent bias and protect privacy.
He believes that building trust between humans and machines requires clear explanations of how systems work, giving users the opportunity to provide feedback and conducting periodic performance reviews.
On performance evaluation, Aljumhour said: “I expect radical changes in standards, shifting from measuring individual effort to evaluating the quality of the partnership between humans and machines.”
There should be a focus on the quality of inputs provided to intelligent systems, the accuracy of review and modification, and complex decision-making based on outputs.
He warns, however, of new risks that may arise, such as over-reliance on AI or difficulty in determining responsibility for mistakes.
In the employment sector, Aljumhour expects fundamental changes in standards.
There will be questions and tests focusing on measuring skills in dealing with AI, such as asking candidates about their experiences of collaborating with these systems, or testing their ability to formulate effective requests for complex tasks.
Aljumhour identifies significant human challenges in this transition, with “fear, loss of power, and exclusivity of knowledge” being the biggest concerns for experienced employees.
