Phoenix Hospitality Group (PHG), the UAE-born hospitality group with interests spanning hotels, restaurants, nightlife and lifestyle concepts, has appointed Manish Ahluwalia as Group Chief Executive Officer, effective October 2026.
Ahluwalia will oversee PHG’s
next phase of growth and international expansion, with a focus on strengthening
its corporate structure, developing its existing portfolio, building a
people-first culture and creating a pipeline of new opportunities across global
markets.
He joins PHG after more than
two decades with IHG Hotels & Resorts, where he held senior leadership
roles across Australia, China, Mauritius, Angola and the UAE. His experience
covers hotel operations, development, asset enhancement, pre-openings,
repositioning, brand creation and complex hospitality projects.
During his career, Ahluwalia
has managed properties serving heads of state, senior government officials,
international business delegations and global celebrities, overseeing the high
standards of service and protocol required by such guests.
One of his major projects was a
six-island, 20-hotel master development on Dubai’s World Islands. His
responsibilities covered the full hospitality lifecycle, from master planning
and concept development to design, construction, branding, operational readiness
and commercial launch.
Known for developing
commercially successful and internationally recognised hospitality brands,
Ahluwalia’s appointment comes as PHG seeks to evolve from a homegrown UAE
operator into a globally scalable hospitality platform.
In his new role, he will
oversee strategic and operational direction while pursuing opportunities
through investment, leasing, franchising and strategic partnerships across the
Middle East, Africa, Europe and South West Asia.
Ahluwalia said: “We aren’t just
scaling across borders—from the Middle East to Africa, Europe and South West
Asia—we are engineering the foundation to thrive in them. By pairing
disciplined corporate structure and robust operational pipelines with a culture
that puts our people first, we are building a truly resilient global legacy.” -TTN
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