One Group, One Vision
by: BTM - Sun, 02 Aug 2026
As Area General Manager of Gulf Hotels Group, Mr. Charbel Hanna brings more than two decades of hospitality experience, including 15 years with the group. He shares his vision for the organisation, reflects on hotel’s legacy and discusses the people who will shape its future.
You oversee a growing portfolio that includes Gulf Hotel Convention & Spa, Crowne Plaza Bahrain, Novotel Al Dana Resort, Gulf Executive Residences Juffair and Bahrain Airport Hotel. How would you describe your vision for the group at this stage of its development?
My vision is to bring all our properties closer together as one group while allowing each brand to retain its own identity. We are building this around three key pillars: people care, guest experience and cost management. If we get our people right, the guest experience follows naturally and disciplined cost management allows us to continue investing in both.
At this stage, my focus is on aligning standards across the cluster without losing what makes each property distinctive with loyal guests over the decades.
Having held leadership roles across Gulf Hotels Group, how has that experience shaped your approach as Area General Manager?
My journey to this role began in Food & Beverage leadership at Gulf Hotel before progressing through Executive Assistant Manager and Deputy General Manager positions. I later became General Manager of Crowne Plaza Bahrain before taking on my current role as Area General Manager.
Having spent 15 of my 24 years in hospitality with Gulf Hotels Group and working closely with the Gulf Hotel Bahrain team throughout that time, I understand the property’s culture and people on a deeper level.
Combined with my experience leading another hotel within the cluster, it gives me a practical understanding of what it takes to guide the entire group rather than focusing on a single property.
Gulf Hotel Bahrain has such a strong legacy in the Kingdom. How do you protect that heritage while continuing to evolve the guest experience?
Gulf Hotel’s legacy was built on genuine hospitality and a dining scene that became a destination in its own right, and that is something we value deeply.
Protecting that heritage means maintaining our service culture and the relationships we have built with loyal guests over many decades. At the same time, we continue to refresh our outlets while remaining true to what made each one successful.
Gulf Hotel is especially known for its dining outlets. How important is food and beverage to the wider identity of Gulf Hotels Group and are there any new concepts or upgrades guests can look forward to?
Food and beverage is central to who we are. Gulf Hotel alone has established itself as a dining destination with 19 outlets and that reputation extends across the wider group.
We have already revitalised Sato and Takht Jamsheed, launched the new Typhoon Terrace concept and Café Délice with a refreshed look and concept.
China Garden will also reopen with a new look. It is an ongoing process of renewal, but the identity of each outlet remains at the heart of every decision. We are also developing new dining concepts at Crowne Plaza.
We will continue investing across the portfolio because food and beverage remains one of the clearest ways we differentiate ourselves.
Bahrain’s hospitality sector is increasingly competitive. What do you believe allows Gulf Hotels Group to stand apart in such a busy market?
What sets us apart is that we are a Bahraini group with deep roots in the community.
Our teams, many of our guests and our relationships throughout the Kingdom span generations. We also benefit from a diverse portfolio, operating under Marriott, IHG and Accor brands alongside our own home-grown properties. This allows us to offer genuine choice across different price points and experiences while maintaining the same commitment to quality and service. That combination of local heritage and international partnerships is something few can replicate.
Having seen the group from within and now leading it at a broader level, what are you most excited to build on in the years ahead?
I am most excited about creating stronger synergies across the cluster by sharing best practice, talent and ideas between our properties in ways that were not previously possible. I also look forward to growing our food and beverage and hospitality businesses beyond the hotels themselves while continuing to invest in the people who will lead Gulf Hotels Group in the future. Twenty-four years into my hospitality career, developing people remains what motivates me most.
Tags #btm august 2026 #hospitality careers Bahrain #gulf hotel restaurants bahrain #bahrain hotel industry #Luxury hotels Bahrain #Hotel management Bahrain #Bahrain hospitality leadership #gulf hotel bahrain #gulf hotels group bahrain #mr charbel hanna
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