Hala Matar Choufany

President-Middle East, Africa and South Asia – HVS

Hala Matar Choufany is the President for HVS Middle East, Africa & South Asia and Managing Partner of HVS Dubai.

Hala is an experienced Managing Partner and Hospitality Advisor with a demonstrated history of working in the hospitality industry. Skilled in Contract Negotiation, Feasibility Studies, Development Recommendation, Valuation, Asset Management, and Strategic Advisory; she has advised on more than 2,500 hospitality and mixed-use projects in the last 15 years across Europe, MEA and Asia. Hala has in-depth expertise in regional hotel markets and a broad exposure to international markets and maintains excellent contacts with developers, owners, operators, investment institutions and government entities. Hala speaks frequently at investment coneferences on a range of topics including asset valuation, management issues and women leadership.

Hala completed Executive Education at Harvard Business School.  She also holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from IMHI (Essec- Cornell) University, Paris, France and a BA in Hospitality Management from Notre Dame University, Lebanon. Hala is fluent in English, French and Arabic.

Hala is a board member of Harvard Business School club of the GCC and is a mum of three. Born in Beirut, Hala lived and worked in a number of cities across Europe, Asia and Middle East.

Tara Marlow

Partner & Head of Hospitality – Al Tamimi & Company

Tara Marlow heads the Real Estate and Hotels & Leisure practices at Al Tamimi & Company, the largest law firm in the Middle East.  With over 20 years’ experience (including 15 years in the Middle East region), she is recognised for her specialism in all aspects of hospitality, real estate and development related matters.  Tara is regularly published in hotel industry and legal journals and is a speaker at hotel industry and real estate development seminars and conferences throughout the Middle East region.

Bringing her combined hotel industry and real estate development skills and experience, she provides solution orientated advice to owners, operators, property developers, financial institutions and investors on all areas of commercial real estate and development.  She has worked on some of the region’s highest profile transactions, mixed-used and resort developments and joint ventures, as well as advising and representing her clients on numerous hotel and serviced apartment management agreements, including rental pool structuring.  Tara is well respected by her peers and clients for her ability to negotiate her way through complex management contracts whilst maintaining a grasp of the bigger picture and commercial parameters.

Tara qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales in 2000, working with a well-known international law firm before moving to the Middle East in 2004 to join Al Tamimi & Company.  In the Middle East, she also had the opportunity to gain valuable hotel industry experience in her role as Vice President, Legal within the hotel development and asset management arm of a large Dubai based development company, advising on the acquisition, development, operation and asset management of a hotel portfolio spread across the MENA region comprising approximately 3,500 operational rooms, together with a number of hotel projects at various stages of development.

Rami Moukarzel

Vice President Development & Acquisitions MENA – Louvre Hotels Group

Rami A. Moukarzel is the Vice President of Development & Acquisitions for Louvre Hotels Group in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA).

A dynamic professional with a keen insight into the shifting regional hospitality marketplace, Rami has over 17 years of experience leading all aspects of hotel development and operations. He is responsible for overseeing business development and bringing people and resources together to support Louvre Hotels Group’s growth strategies in the region, in addition to directing the new modern branding initiatives the group aggressively takes on.

Rami began his career in 2002 and held several pre-opening, operational and F&B positions with leading hotel chains such as Hyatt, Jumeirah, Kempinski and Mövenpick. In 2008, Rami joined FRHI Hotels & Resorts as Manager - Development, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and progressed over the next 7 years to successive promotions to head up development and growth strategy of the group in the Middle East and Africa, holding the title of Vice President - Development.

The passionate hotelier joined Louvre Hotels Group in mid-2015 with the mandate to grow the group’s presence in the Middle East and North Africa and establish it as the leading mid and upscale hotel operator in the region for years to come.

Rami holds a Master of Science in Management from the UK and a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management from the Emirates Academy in Dubai and École hôtelière de Lausanne.