Respondents: Ramsey Saarany, General Manager, Minor Hotels Ras Al Khaimah, General Manager, Anantara Mina Ras Al Khaimah Resort
As Ras Al Khaimah continues to cement its position as one of the region’s most compelling luxury leisure destinations, Anantara Mina Ras Al Khaimah Resort plays an increasingly important role in shaping the emirate’s hospitality story. For Ramsey Saarany, General Manager of Al Khaimah Meno Hotels and General Manager of Anantara Al Khaimah Mina Resort, 2026 is a year focused on people, experiences, nature-led luxury and deeper destination connections. In this conversation, he discusses the resort’s strategic priorities, changing guest expectations, culinary direction, cultural partnerships and the leadership approach behind one of Ras Al Khaimah’s preeminent luxury hotels.
2026 will be a decisive year for Ras Al Khaimah, but also a year fraught with regional uncertainty. What role do you think Anantara Al Khaimah Mina has to play in boosting destination confidence?
Ras Al Khaimah has positioned itself as one of the region’s most exciting luxury leisure destinations, with exceptional demand and growth across multiple segments and source markets in early 2026 ultimately reaffirming the industry’s confidence in our destination. We remain very confident that the destination’s unique positioning, diverse offerings and strong international appeal will continue to drive positive momentum and a strong rebound in international visitors.
As the demand for authentic, meaningful and experience-driven luxury travel continues to grow, Anantara Al Khaimah Mina Resort is perfectly positioned to capture this demand and play a key role in the destination’s overall strategy. The resort features 174 guest rooms spread across a 200,000 square meter beachfront peninsula, a private mangrove reserve, Ras Al Khaimah’s first mangrove-surrounded overwater villas, and a range of facilities to provide you with a unique experience that is closely connected to its natural environment.
Now entering its third year, we continue to see strong growth in key leisure markets and strong MICE demand. At the same time, our business remains highly diverse geographically and demographically. We welcome a variety of leisure guests from domestic, regional and international markets, from couples and families to multi-generational travelers and special occasion guests.
At Anantara Mina Khaimah Resort, it is our responsibility to continue to enhance international demand for this destination by consistently delivering high standards, exceptional guest experiences and innovative products.
After everything the industry has had to deal with recently, what is the resort's single strategic focus for 2026?
Our strategic focus for 2026 remains firmly people-centric and driving exceptional guest experiences.
Guest expectations continue to change rapidly, especially in the luxury hotel sector. Today, travelers place greater emphasis on personalization, service consistency and the overall quality of the experience from arrival to departure. Attention, responsiveness and genuine human connection now play a greater role in shaping the guest experience.
We believe great hospitality starts with a great team. Continuing to invest in our people, service culture, leadership development and colleague engagement remains a key focus for us, as empowered and motivated teams play a key role in delivering high standards and an enhanced guest experience across the resort.
Has the mindset of your guests changed over the past few months? Will travelers ask different questions or seek different reassurances than before?
Yes, absolutely. Today, guests are making more intentional and value-driven travel decisions in domestic and international markets, focusing more on quality, relevance and overall value perception.
Booking decisions are increasingly influenced by the overall accommodation experience, particularly villa offerings, wellness offerings and dining concepts, as well as nature-led home experiences. Guests also value flexibility, reliability and overall peace of mind when traveling.
We are also seeing growing interest in sustainability, destination exploration, and experiences that create a deeper connection with the surrounding environment. Our new Mangrove Discovery Center further enhances the way guests can interact with the natural landscape in a more immersive and meaningful way.
Are you developing new experiential pillars for your resort in 2026, whether around wellness, culture, sustainability, culinary, nature immersion or family travel?
The focus for 2026 is to further strengthen the resort’s position as a luxury destination, fully integrating wellness, nature, gastronomy and family travel into the guest journey.
A major milestone is the launch of our Mangrove Discovery Centre, introducing experiences centered around sustainability, local biodiversity and destination exploration while further immersing guests in the resort’s natural surroundings.
We also continue to expand lifestyle-led wellness through initiatives like Reconnecting with Nature, which combines outdoor exercise, mindfulness, sound healing and wellness therapies. Complementing this are more interactive culinary experiences, including new dining concepts, cooking classes, seasonal events and curated guest collaborations.
The introduction of a new adults-only pool brings a more refined and tranquil resort experience to adult guests, while an expanded children's program aims to go beyond traditional kids' club activities with nature exploration, outdoor exploration and creative workshops.
The overall direction for 2026 is around creating a more differentiated and experience-led offering that continues to broaden the resort’s appeal to multiple traveler groups.
Food and beverage increasingly impacts the image of a resort, not only in the perception of hotel guests, but also in the local market. Are there plans to improve the resort’s dining and social spaces in 2026?
Cuisine has become one of the most important pillars in shaping the resort’s image today, recognized not only by internal guests but also by the wider local and regional market. Guests select destinations based on dining concepts, ambience and overall lifestyle appeal.
At Anantara Mina Khaimah Resort, we are constantly refining our food and beverage offerings for different concepts and audiences.
Mekong Restaurant remains one of the resort's main culinary pillars, known for its authentic Asian cuisine, menu innovation and guest chef collaborations.
Beach House is also building momentum as a Mediterranean seaside venue through its brunch concept, seaside vibe and more social dining experiences.
In addition to this, Anantara Designed Dining allows guests to enjoy fully customized private dining journeys throughout the resort, from intimate beachfront dinners to carefully planned celebrations designed around personal milestones and bespoke menus. Experiences such as our beachfront Asado concept further add to the resort's more interactive and social dining atmosphere.
To complement the culinary experience, we have also partnered with internationally recognized mixology experts to further enhance the beverage program with sophisticated cocktail concepts, product innovation and higher presentation standards.
What role do partners, guest chefs, cultural collaborations or local suppliers play in keeping the resort relevant beyond a traditional luxury hotel?
Partnerships and cultural initiatives play an increasingly important role in keeping resorts closely connected to the destination and wider community. Today, luxury hotel services extend far beyond accommodation, with guests seeking experiences that are stylish, unique and reflective of local culture.
We bring together food, culture, lifestyle and community engagement through a series of carefully curated initiatives throughout the resort.
At Mekong, we have guest chef collaborations with Thai chef Thaninthorn “Noom” Chantrawan and Korean chef Chanoh Lee, while Beach House welcomes Michelin-starred chef Arnaud Dunand. The events generated huge demand, including a sold-out dinner, and the attendance of VIPs, local guests and members of the Ras Al Khaimah royal family, further cementing the resort’s reputation as a destination for fine dining experiences.
In addition to gastronomy, we also collaborate on destination-related cultural events. Partnering with Al Qasimi Foundation to celebrate Emirati Women’s Day, as well as participating in the Ras Al Khaimah Arts Festival, allows us to engage an audience beyond traditional resort guests while building stronger local connections and cultural relevance.
As Cluster General Manager, how has your approach to leadership evolved since opening, especially during a time when confidence, teams and operations were tested?
The resort has gone from strength to strength since opening and has led to continued growth of the property which has further shaped my perspective as a cluster general manager. Managing a luxury resort environment requires constant consistency in operations, guest experience and overall direction of the business.
My leadership style has always been centered around clarity, consistency, and cross-functional collaboration. Maintaining strong communication, encouraging ownership and ensuring the team is aligned on common goals are important to maintaining operational standards and guest experience throughout the resort.
During a period of stress for operations and the wider industry, clear decision-making, operational discipline and the ability to maintain consistency across the business while continuing to deliver high standards are required.
The results achieved since opening reflect the collective focus of the entire resort. The hotel has received more than 40 industry awards and recognitions while continuing to enhance its reputation and overall guest experience.
In a more competitive and cautious market, how do you keep your team emotionally engaged, not just operationally efficient?
In the hospitality industry, the guest experience is ultimately shaped by the people behind it, which is why creating a culture where teams feel valued, supported and engaged remains a top priority across resorts.
We place a strong emphasis on communication, recognition and creating opportunities for employees to grow within the organization. Initiatives such as direct calls to general managers were introduced to build transparency, trust and communication at all levels of the organization, while regular engagement in initiatives and cross-department collaboration continued to keep the team connected and motivated.
Ongoing investment in learning and development also remains a focus. During the year, the resort provided more than 7,040 hours of Forbes training, focusing on improving service accuracy and operational readiness, which contributed to the resort's four-star recognition from Forbes Travel Guide.
We have also launched our ‘Home Away From Home’ scheme to further improve the standard of accommodation and overall wellbeing of our colleagues, emphasizing the importance of creating a professional and personally supportive environment for the team.
This culture translates into high engagement and retention rates across the resort, with employee retention improving 16% year over year and employee satisfaction reaching 86%, exceeding the target score of 80%. The resort’s many recognitions ultimately reflect the passion, consistency and commitment of the people behind the operation.
