Dani Saleh appointed Senior Vice President, Saudi Arabia at Millennium Hotels and Resorts MEA

The Makkah cluster general manager steps up to lead the group’s largest development market in the region, where it has 11 projects and 3,579 keys in the pipeline.

Millennium Hotels and Resorts Middle East and Africa (MHR MEA) has appointed Dani Saleh as Senior Vice President, Saudi Arabia, effective 1 October 2026. The new role creates a dedicated leadership position for the Kingdom as the group expands its portfolio there.

Saleh moves up from Makkah, where he has been Cluster General Manager of Millennium & Copthorne Makkah Al Naseem, a complex of more than 1,307 rooms, since July 2021.

Scope of the role

Saleh will lead the group’s next phase of growth in Saudi Arabia, including building a dedicated presence in the market, according to BW Hotelier. The role centres on supporting growth and managing relationships with owners and partners in the Kingdom.

Olivier Badard, Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Hotels and Resorts MEA, said: “Saudi Arabia is one of the most important markets for our future. Dani has the relationships, the market knowledge and the trust of our owners to lead it into its next chapter.”

The appointment follows Badard’s own arrival as chief executive of the MEA business a few weeks earlier. The group also acknowledged Fouad Al Filali for his contribution to its growth in Saudi Arabia in recent years, and said it looked forward to working with him in his role at the helm of SERB.

Saleh’s career background

In Makkah, Saleh oversaw operations through four consecutive Hajj seasons from 2021 to 2024. His career has been built largely in the Gulf. He began at Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Kuwait, where he was Director of Revenue Management, before joining The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa in Manama, Bahrain, as Director of Rooms and Revenue.

He first joined Millennium in 2008 as General Manager of Copthorne Hotel & Resort Al Jahra in Kuwait, later becoming Area General Manager based in Salmiya, where he led the pre-opening and opening of the Millennium Hotel & Convention Centre. After a period as Chief Operating Officer of Cascada Mall in Lebanon and as General Manager of Crowne Plaza Dubai, he returned to Millennium in 2020 as Special Task General Manager in Abu Dhabi, overseeing the rebranding of Millennium Al Rawdah.

He studied Hospitality Administration at Cornell University.

Saudi Arabia in Millennium’s pipeline

Saudi Arabia is Millennium’s largest development market in the region. According to figures presented by Millennium & Copthorne MENAT and reported by La Tribune de l’Hôtellerie, the Kingdom accounts for 11 projects and 3,579 keys, or 30.5% of the units the group has in development across the region.

Other operators are also adding Kingdom-level leadership. Accor recently expanded Fadeel Wehbe’s luxury remit across Saudi Arabia.

Why the role matters

A dedicated senior vice president for a single country reflects the share of Millennium’s regional pipeline now concentrated in Saudi Arabia. By appointing an executive who has run its largest operation in Makkah, the group is placing owner relationships and religious tourism experience at the centre of that growth.