RIYADH: Hessa Almazroa, the general manager of Novotel Al Anoud Hotel in Riyadh, has shared her insights into the country’s growing hospitality and tourism industries.
“I expect in the next few years the participation of Saudis, even at the senior level in hotels, will be high. In 2025, we can see 50 and even 60 Saudi general managers,” she told Arab News.
Almazroa has over 16 years of experience in the hospitality sector and management industry. She began her career as a marketing officer in 2004 and climbed the ladder of PR and marketing communications at Al Hokair Group.
She then went on to manage multiple hotel properties, including the Movenpick and Novotel in Riyadh, eventually becoming one of the leading Saudi female general managers in the Kingdom.
I believe what makes the tourism industry attractive for Saudis to work in is that it’s a part of our DNA, generosity and hospitality, it’s all a part of our DNA.
Hessa Almazroa
“My beginning in the hotel sector was in 2015. It was a very new and frightening experience, but it always stimulates the challenge in people, and this was a challenge for me. I believe that one of the most important things that a Saudi must possess in the tourism sector is believing in their abilities. His highness, the crown prince, said that Saudis have the strength and stature of Tuwaiq Mountain.
“Those who come from around the world are the guests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and we are the best and most able to host and honor them. I believe what makes the tourism industry attractive for Saudis to work in is that it’s a part of our DNA, generosity and hospitality, it’s all a part of our DNA.”
She said the sector was not an easy one as it produced many challenges, so a general manager or hotel manager must be passionate about hospitality and generosity and possess these traits themselves.
“I am keen to succeed in the sector of hospitality, and I am keen to be a good example for Saudi women in this field. When you work in the hospitality sector, the challenges and experiences are always different.”
She went into the hospitality sector and continued because of the challenges and obstacles she faced. She said she enjoyed problem-solving and had a passion for pushing the barriers and her capabilities.
She said religious tourism to the Kingdom had always been a major factor in the hospitality industry and that the industry as a whole was still very new and continuously growing to build on religious tourism, expanding to accommodate cultural and leisure travel.
Leadership positions, such as general managers and hotel managers, are primarily dominated by expats in Saudi Arabia.
“We still have a very long way ahead of us today,” she added.
She compared the tourism sector to many different sectors that were also, once upon a time, very new to the Kingdom.
“The tourism sector is like any other sector,” she said. “When the banking sector started, the participation of the Saudis in it was a minority. Today, the Saudization rate in the banking sector has reached 90 percent. The telecommunications sector as well, the petroleum sector. Their numbers were simple.
“Today those company’s Saudization rates reach 70, 80, and 90 percent. This I feel is a natural sequence of growth and a natural product for the future.”
Asked why there were not more women in leadership positions in the hospitality sector, she replied it was not a matter of gender because both genders were empowered and had immense opportunities and support to hold such positions.
“The great changes that Saudi Arabia is witnessing (is) year by year, and not only from 2017 until now. I am looking forward to the future, confident that the next is more beautiful and more splendid.”
She said that the Kingdom was growing quickly and, with the support of Vision 2030 initiatives and the Ministry of Tourism, there was so much potential for career growth and leadership in the hospitality sector.
“We are fast,” she said. “What I imagine will happen in 10 years, I expect Saudi Arabia will do in five.”
