Beyond Occupancy: Sylvia Matei on Driving Hotel Profitability in Dubai

Exclusive interview with Sylvia Matei, Cluster General Manager at Crowne Plaza Dubai Deira & Crowne Plaza Dubai Jumeirah – Deputy COO at Ishraq Hospitality.

What does Dubai’s hospitality market look like from the GM’s seat?

Dubai remains one of the world’s most dynamic and competitive hospitality markets, with 794 hotel and hotel apartment establishments and approximately 149,000 rooms and units, according to August 2026 figures. With so many options available, hotels need to be clear about their positioning, understand their guests and continuously find ways to stay competitive.

Leading Crowne Plaza Dubai Deira and Crowne Plaza Dubai Jumeirah gives me an interesting perspective because, although both hotels operate in the same city and under the same brand, they cater to different markets. At Deira, our focus is on MICE, corporate business, weddings and social events, with additional opportunities in airline crew business due to our proximity to the airport. At Jumeirah, we are working on growing our leisure business, particularly from CIS countries, Europe and Latin America, while making the most of our location and accessibility to Downtown Dubai and the beaches.

Having two different market profiles means we need to approach each property differently, from how we position our offerings to how we attract business and manage our rates. What works for one hotel may not necessarily work for the other, and that is something we constantly evaluate.

Dubai’s continued success is also supported by the efforts of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), which has done an excellent job of promoting the city internationally and strengthening its reputation as a safe and welcoming destination. This becomes particularly important during periods of regional uncertainty, when maintaining traveller confidence is essential.

From a General Manager’s perspective, success is no longer just about achieving high occupancy. It is about attracting the right business, protecting profitability and ensuring our guests have a reason to return. Dubai continues to create incredible opportunities for hospitality, but making the most of them requires us to stay close to our markets and never assume that yesterday’s success guarantees tomorrow’s results.

From post pandemic recovery to sustainable growth

The hospitality industry has moved beyond the recovery phase, but that does not mean the market has become more predictable. Regional tensions continue to affect travel confidence, flight connectivity and booking patterns, reminding us how quickly circumstances can change.

As hotel operators, we cannot control these external factors, but we can control how we respond. This means being more flexible with our commercial strategies, understanding where demand is coming from and adjusting our business mix without compromising the guest experience.

For us, this also means looking beyond our traditional source markets and finding the right balance between corporate, leisure, MICE and events business. Having a diversified business mix helps reduce our dependence on any single market and allows us to respond more effectively when demand shifts.

Sustainable growth is not simply about filling rooms or achieving higher rates. We need to protect our average daily rate, manage operating costs carefully and make sure the business we attract contributes positively to our profitability. Sometimes, that requires making difficult commercial decisions rather than simply chasing volume.

I think the most important lesson from the past few years is that we cannot take stability for granted. We need to build businesses that can manage difficult periods, continue delivering for our guests and remain in a strong position when new opportunities arise. That, to me, is what sustainable growth is really about.

Why is revenue management no longer just about rooms?

My commercial experience has reinforced one important principle: revenue management should focus on the profitability of the entire hotel, not just room revenue.

Occupancy, average daily rate and revenue per available room remain important indicators, but there are many other opportunities within a hotel that contribute to its overall performance. Food and beverage, meetings, conferences, weddings and social events all play an important role, and we need to look at how these different revenue streams work together.

At Crowne Plaza Dubai Deira, for example, a corporate conference is not simply about selling meeting space. There are opportunities to generate additional revenue through accommodation, catering and dining. The same applies to weddings, where the value goes beyond the banquet itself and can include guest room bookings and other services. At Crowne Plaza Dubai Jumeirah, our dining concepts also attract residents and external guests, allowing us to generate business independently of room occupancy.

To make the most of these opportunities, revenue management needs to be closely connected with sales, marketing, finance and operations. We need to understand our different guest segments, anticipate demand and make sure our commercial decisions are not only driving revenue but also contributing to profitability.

I also think it is important to understand the value of every space within the hotel. Whether it is a restaurant, meeting room or event venue, we should always be asking ourselves how we can use it more effectively and create additional opportunities for business.

Ultimately, it is not just about generating more revenue. It is about making better use of what we have, understanding where the real opportunities are and ensuring that growth translates into stronger financial performance for our owners.

The future of women in hospitality leadership

I believe leadership is defined by vision, capability and the impact we create, regardless of gender. It is encouraging to see so many talented women holding senior leadership positions across the hospitality industry today. For me, the focus should now be on how we use our experience to create opportunities and inspire the next generation.

My transition from commercial leadership into hotel operations was a defining moment in my career. It pushed me beyond my comfort zone, broadened my perspective and gave me the confidence to take on greater responsibilities. Looking back, I realise how important it was to have people who believed in my potential and encouraged me to take that step.

I have been fortunate to work with leaders who gave me room to learn, make decisions and grow. Their support made a real difference, and it is something I always try to pass on to others. No matter how far we progress in our careers, we should never forget where we started, who supported us and the challenges that shaped us. Humility, kindness and patience should always remain part of that journey.

My advice to aspiring women leaders is to believe in themselves, embrace challenges and aim high, but also to be gentle with themselves along the way. Success takes time, and not everything will go according to plan. What matters is that we continue learning, remain confident in our abilities and never allow setbacks to discourage us from pursuing our ambitions.

I would like to see more women using their experiences to encourage others, just as others have encouraged me throughout my career. To me, that is one of the most rewarding aspects of leadership, knowing that your own journey can give someone else the confidence to take the next step.

Building hotels that perform and people who grow

I believe strong hotel performance starts with leadership that provides clear direction, builds accountability and gives people the confidence to take ownership of their responsibilities.

Throughout my career, I have learned that a successful hotel is never the result of one person’s efforts. Behind every strong operation is a team that understands the business, works towards common objectives and feels trusted to make decisions. As leaders, our responsibility is to create the right environment for that to happen.

Holding the roles of Deputy COO at Ishraq Hospitality and Cluster General Manager of Crowne Plaza Dubai Deira and Crowne Plaza Dubai Jumeirah gives me two perspectives that are closely connected. At group level, my focus is on strengthening operational performance, setting clear direction and sharing successful practices across our properties. At the two Crowne Plaza hotels, I remain directly involved in daily operations, working closely with our department heads and understanding the challenges our teams face.

I find this combination particularly valuable because what works in theory also needs to work in practice. It allows me to bring the experience gained from managing the hotels into wider business decisions, while applying the knowledge and best practices shared across the group to improve our individual properties.

I expect our department heads to think beyond their own departments and understand how their decisions affect the wider business. Empowerment must come with accountability, but equally with trust, coaching and opportunities to grow. With a new generation entering hospitality, we also need to listen to their expectations, welcome fresh perspectives and create an environment where young talent can see a future for themselves in our industry.

For me, the real measure of leadership is not how well a hotel performs when the General Manager is present, but how confidently the business performs in their absence.

Sustainability beyond the buzzword

I have always seen sustainability as a responsibility that goes beyond environmental commitments. It is also about how efficiently we manage our hotels, how we use our resources and the decisions we make every day.

In the UAE, where energy, water and food consumption are significant operational considerations, sustainability is becoming increasingly important. Dubai’s Sustainable Tourism programme and the UAE Net Zero 2050 strategy reinforce the need for hotels to adopt more responsible practices while continuing to deliver the standards our guests expect.

During my time at Holiday Inn Dubai Al Maktoum Airport, our team achieved a 40% reduction in overall waste through better waste management, stronger operational controls and the involvement of our colleagues. What made this achievement particularly meaningful was that it did not require a major investment. It came from changing the way we worked, paying closer attention to our daily practices and making sure everyone understood their role.

I think this is where sustainability can make a real difference. It does not always have to involve large projects or complicated initiatives. Sometimes, it starts with simple improvements, such as reducing unnecessary consumption, managing food waste more carefully and using data to understand where we can operate more efficiently.

Across Ishraq Hospitality, we have an opportunity to encourage these practices, share what works well between our properties and make sustainability part of our daily operations rather than treating it as a separate initiative.