Ali Manzoor leads CBRE’s Hotels & Tourism practice in Middle East

Global real estate professional services firm CBRE has named Ali Manzoor the new leader of its Hotels & Tourism practice in the Middle East.

Based in Dubai, Ali Manzoor leads the firm’s advisory and development services to investors, developers and operators in the hotels and tourism landscape.

While handed a region-wide remit, Manzoor will have a specific focus on the UAE and Saudi Arabia – the two hottest markets for both tourism and hotels development.

According to recent research by Deloitte, hotel performance in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia has bounced back strongly in 2021, with Dubai even one of the globe’s top performers in terms of occupancy. Meanwhile, both economic powerhouses in the region have billed tourism growth as a key pillar of their respective Vision strategies.

Manzoor joins from Knight Frank where he was Partner and Head of Hospitality & Leisure for the Middle East. With over 15 years’ experience, including 10 years in the Middle East, he has worked with clients on feasibility studies, market entry, hotel valuations, pricing strategies and optimum site use for both large-scale multi-use projects and stand-alone assets.

Prior to moving into real estate development consultancy, Manzoor worked in the high-end luxury hospitality industry in London with various responsibilities, including overseeing hotel operations, demand planning, and profitability monitoring.

Ali's strong regional experience and his seniority in the market will be a key addition to CBRE. Bringing him on board forms part of our long-term strategy to further expand our leading real estate advisory practice in the Middle East and bring strategic support to our clients,” said Nicholas Maclean, Managing Director of CBRE in the Middle East.