Alejandra Resa Abad Joins RLA Global as Director, Based in Abu Dhabi

News

3 Jun 2026

Dubai, June 3, 2026 - RLA Global, the international hospitality and leisure advisory firm, is pleased to announce that Alejandra Resa Abad has joined the firm as Director, effective March 25, 2026. This appointment reflects both the firm's growing presence in the Middle East and the expanding international scope of its advisory work.

Alejandra brings over a decade of experience across strategic consulting, feasibility advisory, and luxury hotel operations. She began her career at Deloitte, focusing on strategic planning, asset performance analysis, and financial modelling for international hotel groups, before moving into feasibility consulting across the full project lifecycle.

From there, she transitioned into hotel operations as General Manager of two luxury boutique properties, leading repositioning, renovation, and reopening projects that achieved significant performance improvements and industry recognition, including a Michelin Key. This combination of consulting and operational experience gives her a perspective that is directly relevant to the projects RLA Global advises on across the region.

Alejandra holds an MBA in Hospitality Finance from Les Roches International School and a double degree in Business Administration and Tourism.

Roger Allen

Group CEO, RLA Global

"Alejandra has worked on both sides of the table - as a consultant who understands financial modelling and feasibility, and as an operator who has led properties through complex, full-scale turnarounds. That dual fluency is rare and directly valuable to our clients. She strengthens our presence across the Middle East while bringing a depth of experience that serves our international client base equally well."

The Middle East hospitality market has entered 2026 with strong underlying fundamentals, even as regional geopolitical tensions have introduced near-term complexity across key Gulf destinations. Owners and operators are responding in two distinct ways: some are holding position, waiting for conditions to stabilise; others are using the period to renovate, reposition, and address the performance gaps that peak trading seasons rarely allow time to examine. Both approaches generate a clear advisory mandate.

Marco Nijhof

Chairman, RLA Global

"The UAE continues to demonstrate exceptional resilience. The investment community here is firmly focused on the fall season, and so are we. Alejandra brings outstanding professional experience and a natural ability to build client relationships, and we are very happy to have her with us."

The MENA hospitality sector is forecast to grow from $310 billion in 2025 to more than $487 billion by 2032, a trajectory supported by Vision 2030, large-scale development across the UAE and Egypt, and the opening of Saudi real estate to foreign ownership from January 2026. RLA Global has continued to grow its pipeline in the region throughout this period, and Alejandra’s presence in the region strengthens the firm’s ability to respond to client needs directly and build the relationships that complex projects require.

Alejandra Resa Abad

Director, RLA Global

"What drew me to RLA Global was the people and the way the firm works: genuinely collaborative, deeply experienced, and fully committed to their clients. I am excited to be part of that, and to be doing this work in a region with so much ahead of it."

About RLA

RLA Global is the go-to corporate resource for hospitality, leisure, recreation, wellbeing and tourism related to hotels, destinations, resorts and mixed-use developments. Founded in 2015, the firm only employs senior professionals with proven expertise in high-profile projects, strategic mindset, collaborative spirit and hands-on approach. The company has a track record of 100+ projects across six continents.