Basel Talal is the managing director at Radisson Hotel Group KSA, Kuwait and Levant. He is responsible for the operations and profitability of Radisson hotels in the Kingdom. Radisson Hotel Group is rapidly expanding, with more than 30 hotels in operation and under development.

Talal has more than 25 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, with the majority of this time spent with Radisson Hotel Group, one the world’s largest hotel groups.

He takes an active role in the group’s talent development program in Saudi Arabia. He also supports its leadership efforts in the Kingdom, which aim to encourage more women to enter the hospitality industry in Saudi Arabia and take on leadership positions.

Before his role as managing director, Talal served as district director of Saudi Arabia, where he played an instrumental role in establishing the group’s operations in the Kingdom.

He was general manager of Radisson Blu Resort in Sharjah for five years from 2009 and overcame a number of challenges following the global financial crisis.

Talal started his career as a night manager at Radisson SAS Resort, Aqaba, in 1994. His commitment and dedication to hospitality led to him becoming operations manager at the same hotel.

In mid-1999, he held the position of executive assistant manager, taking over the opening of the Radisson SAS Muscat Hotel.

After three years at the Radisson SAS Muscat, Talal relocated to Saudi Arabia as the general manager of the Radisson SAS Hotel Jeddah. In 2005, he was involved in the opening of Radisson Blu Royal Suites Hotel in Jeddah.

Talal studied architecture in Jordan and the US. He has also undertaken multiple training courses covering hotel design and proactive leadership.