Ahmed Hozaien is Marriott International’s area vice president for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt.
With 34 years of experience in the hotel industry, he is responsible for the operations of Marriott properties throughout the three countries, working with a team covering 58 hotels.
A further 42 properties are in the pipeline.
He began his career as a commis chef with Hilton Hotels and in 1994 became a food and beverage manager. He then moved to the rooms division before taking on executive positions.
His first general manager job came in 2000 with Coralia Club, a new resort brand launched by Accor. The role involved him working in several countries including Cuba, China, Vietnam, and Egypt.
In 2012, Hozaien moved to Saudi Arabia where he had leadership responsibilities for the company in the Kingdom. Five years later, he joined Marriott International in his current capacity.
During his career, he has worked in eight countries across Europe, Latin America, the Far East, and the Middle East helping to develop new destinations, restructure existing set-ups, and reposition properties to improve results.
Born in Egypt and schooled in France, he was influenced by his experiences staying in hotels during his childhood.
Hozaien gained a bachelor’s degree in hotel management from Helwan University in Cairo in 1982, completed a hotel executive program at ESSEC Business School in Paris in 2009, and obtained a higher diploma in hospitality asset management from Switzerland’s Glion Institute of Higher Education in 2017.
