Hilton Hotels Corporation announced the appointment of Shuja Zaidi for the newly created designation of Vice President – Projects, Saudi Arabia, to support the company’s development ambitions in the Kingdom.

To be based in Makkah, Zaidi will report to Essam Abouda, Vice President - Operations, Arabian Peninsula and Indian Ocean. Zaidi will additionally continue to hold his current position as General Manager for Makkah Hilton & Towers.

Zaidi’s successful track record with Hilton incorporates a number of accomplishments in senior positions. He was previously Director of Sales, Director of Operations as well as General Manager with Hilton in the US, China and Saudi Arabia.

Abouda said: “The additional responsibility for Shuja emphasises Hilton’s diligent focus on realising Saudi Arabia’s tourism potential within the GCC, and internationally. Leveraging our strong presence in Jeddah, Makkah, and Madinah, we will now channel our development efforts in Riyadh, where we perceive significant prospects for establishing our Family of Brands.

“We are confident in his new role, Shuja will prove to be the driving force for the Hilton brands, and to realise our aggressive development objectives in the Kingdom.”

Saudi Arabia has been identified as one of Hilton’s top international markets with a high potential for development, with domestic tourism alone expected to generate around SR101 billion by 2020.

Recognising the considerable growth opportunity in the region, Zaidi has already begun initiating steps to ensuring a productive year for Hilton by adopting a fresh voice for the company’s expansion plans.

Zaidi said: “There is no doubt Saudi Arabia has the potential to redefine Hilton’s future growth in the region. Hilton’s aim is to ensure the expansion plans are in sync with the hospitality ambitions of the Kingdom, and part of my role will be to ensure the proliferation of the Hilton Family of Brands is achieved with strategic precision. I will leverage my years of experience in the Kingdom that has helped me develop a tremendous understanding of the region, its unique sensitivities and requirements.

“We strongly believe as domestic tourism evolves rapidly, so will the diversity of travellers to the Kingdom, alongside a consumer mandate for wider options. We aim to meet this anticipated need with the roll out of more Hilton Family of Brands.”

Earlier in July this year, Hilton reopened its international sales office in Riyadh, acknowledging Saudi Arabia’s status as a fast growing feeder market for the hospitality giant’s Middle East and Africa regions, as well as international operations.