Director of Development

Action Hotels; Dubai; On-site; AED 334,800 - 558,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation with performance-linked incentives

Direct exposure to owners and investors

Opportunity to shape long-term regional strategy

Job summary

A dynamic hospitality company is looking for a Director of Business Development to enhance their third-party hotel management platform in the UAE. The role focuses on identifying new business opportunities and leading negotiations for hotel management agreements. Ideal candidates will have 8-12+ years of experience in hospitality development, strong market relationships, and an ability to drive profitable partnerships. Competitive compensation and significant responsibilities in shaping regional expansion strategy are offered.

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of relevant experience in hospitality development or hotel acquisitions.
• Strong knowledge of the Middle East hospitality market.
• Fluency in English; Arabic or additional languages is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead the asset-light growth strategy targeting third-party management agreements.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities across the UAE.
• Structure and negotiate hotel management agreements.

Skills

Hospitality business development

Negotiation skills

Relationship management

Market analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Business, Finance, or related field

MBA or advanced hospitality qualification

Tools

MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel)

CRM/reporting tools

Job description

Action Hotels is a dynamic hospitality company focused on building and expanding a high-performing hotel management platform across the region. We partner with hotel owners and investors to deliver strong operational performance, revenue growth, and long-term asset value through proven systems, commercial expertise, and hands-on leadership.

About the Role

We are looking for a Director of Business Development to drive the expansion of our portfolio and third-party hotel management platform. This role will focus on identifying new opportunities across multiple verticals including new developments, conversions, and third-party management contracts. Main responsibility will be leading negotiations to successfully close hotel management agreements with owners and investors seeking professional operations, revenue optimization, and sustainable asset performance.

This is a strategic, commercial role for a proven hospitality dealmaker with strong market relationships and the ability to convert opportunities into long-term partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

As Director of Development, you will:

• Lead the asset-light growth strategy, targeting third-party management agreements, new hotel projects, and conversion opportunities.
• Identify, qualify, and pursue new business opportunities across the UAE and key regional markets.
• Build and manage a strong pipeline of hotel owners, developers, institutional investors, and asset managers.
• Structure and negotiate hotel management agreements, ensuring commercial competitiveness and alignment with company objectives.
• Develop compelling proposals, feasibility summaries, and owner pitch presentations in coordination with operations, finance, and revenue teams.
• Conduct market research, competitive analysis, and location assessments to support expansion decisions.
• Drive end-to-end deal execution from lead generation through LOI, term sheet, contract closure, and handover to operations.
• Represent Action Hotels in industry events, investor meetings, and networking forums to strengthen brand visibility and relationships.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure deliverable commitments, brand standards, operational readiness, and performance targets.
• Maintain strong reporting on pipeline performance, conversion rates, and business development activity.

What You’ll Bring

To succeed in this role, you should have:

• Strong experience in hospitality business development, owner acquisition, hotel expansion and or third-party hotel management growth.
• Demonstrated success in negotiating and closing hotel management agreements or similar long-term commercial contracts.
• Strong network within the hospitality ecosystem: owners, developers, consultants, brokers, banks, and investment firms.
• Commercial mindset with the ability to evaluate deals and understand key hotel performance drivers (RevPAR, GOP, NOI, CAPEX planning).
• Confidence in presenting to senior stakeholders and handling complex negotiations with multiple decision-makers.
• Excellent communication, persuasion, and relationship management skills.
• A proactive, entrepreneurial approach enabling comfortable working independently and driving growth outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Business, Finance, or related field
• MBA or advanced hospitality qualification is a plus
• 8–12+ years of relevant experience in hospitality development, hotel acquisitions, or third-party management business development.
• Strong knowledge of the Middle East hospitality market (regional exposure is a plus).
• High proficiency in MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel) and CRM/reporting discipline.
• Fluent in English (Arabic or additional languages is an advantage).

Why Join Us

• Lead growth for an asset-light hospitality platform
• Direct exposure to owners, investors, and C-suite leadership
• Competitive compensation with performance-linked incentives
• Opportunity to shape long-term regional expansion strategy

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