Welcoming our hospitality students to The Hotel Show and RSG Headquarters in Riyadh

By Rabih Feghali, Hospitality Director at The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC)

Saudi Arabia is entering a new era - undergoing a historic period of growth and transformation as it blossoms to fit the framework of the revolutionary 2030 Vision. One key area set for metamorphosis is tourism. Tourism has been a central tenet of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program since it was first laid out. As the nation’s flagship tourism developer, The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) is proud to be a key enabler of the Kingdom’s diversification. 

September saw Riyadh hosting The Hotel Show - the Kingdom’s first live Tourism event post Covid. The Hotel Show showcased a diverse collection of hospitality related products, services as well as speeches and discussion panels featuring the country’s major industry players.

The conference provided the perfect opportunity for five top students from our Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne scholarship program at the University of Prince Mugrin to attend a live event, get to grips with industry trends, and to visit our offices.  

Gaining exposure to the many vendors and suppliers at the exhibition who showcased innovative, sustainable, and eco-friendly products for hotels in decoration, lighting, technology, security, food and beverages, catering and more, was extremely valuable to the students. It was a great event for networking and making connections with hospitality leaders, hoteliers, interior designers, chefs, and interesting people in the market. The Leadership Forum in particular was an inspiring moment for them. They got to hear not only from TRSDC’s expertise (our Head of Operations, Anton Bawab and Chief Financial Officer, Jay Rosen both spoke) but from the leaders across this wider market.

During their visit to our company headquarters, the students were taken on a tour where they met people working in the industry they are training to join and were introduced to the functions of several departments across the company. They witnessed in person what happens behind the scenes, as we do our part in developing the very first resorts at the project, where they will work once they graduate. 

Fresh candidates working in the hospitality sector rarely, if ever, get this type of exposure to the design, planning, and construction of a project. This in itself has definitely broadened the students’ understanding of the hotel project lifecycle.  

The aim of this trip was to acknowledge the outstanding efforts of these top five champions and to shed light over the young leaders who will enrich our hospitality sector. 

Students’ Quotes about the Trip  

“My priority from this trip was to network and connect to the people in hospitality. The Hotel Show Conference was amazing and I did listen carefully to the people who matters in the market today,” Osama Bahaffi 
“This opportunity enriched me with new concepts in the hospitality market. Nowadays with the covid restrictions, it’s difficult to allow guests to serves themselves in restaurants. Yet, some vendors at the conference offered a revolutionary idea to serve food for guests via drones and robots! This cloud and drone kitchen is happening today in the world of hospitality,” Amani Almuzaini
“It is a wonderful experience to meet TRSDC staff in the headquarter office, the atmosphere and the spirit of the team was outstanding,” Abdulaziz Alrhely
“I like the part when we attended the Leadership Forum and hearing the great inspirational speeches. It made me understand the shift happening today in this growing market,” Afnan Alrumayh
“It was a wonderful experience visiting TRSDC’s headquarter office. I was astonished by the positive working environment and the company’s culture. I have recognized how closely the departments are to each other. Made me inspire to work here someday,” Siraj Alfi