How Monther Darwish is taking Palazzo Hospitality from Dubai to the world
At Palazzo Versace Dubai, that means viewing the property as an ecosystem encompassing rooms, restaurants, wellness, events, celebrations, gifting, partnerships and lifestyle experiences
22 October, 2026
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For Monther Darwish, change is less a disruption to hospitality than a permanent feature of the business.
The founder and chairman of Palazzo Hospitality and MD of Palazzo Versace Dubai has spent years operating in an industry where traveller expectations, technology and competition rarely stand still. His response has been to build a hospitality business designed to move with them.
“Hospitality is constantly evolving, and standing still is not an option. Our focus has always been on finding opportunity in change, strengthening our core business, creating new revenue streams and continuing to invest in the future.”
That philosophy increasingly defines Palazzo Hospitality. Founded by Darwish in 2019, the UAE-based group spans hotel management, development, commercial operations, interior design and brand management. At its centre remains Palazzo Versace Dubai, but its ambitions now extend considerably further, with more than 10 projects in the pipeline as it targets expansion across the Middle East, Africa and selected international markets.
The strategy reflects a wider shift in hospitality. Occupancy remains fundamental, but growth increasingly depends on creating multiple reasons for customers to interact with a hotel, whether or not they are staying overnight.
At Palazzo Versace Dubai, that means viewing the property as an ecosystem encompassing rooms, restaurants, wellness, events, celebrations, gifting, partnerships and lifestyle experiences.
Turning experiences into revenue
One example came through Palazzo Versace Dubai’s summer campaign. Rather than relying on significant conventional advertising spend, the hotel activated relationships with media partners, influencers and content creators, supported by PR, while packaging experiences across the property at different price points.
Rooms started from Dhs499, selected food and beverage experiences from Dhs499 for two, Giardino breakfast was offered at Dhs125 for two, La Vita at Dhs199 and spa experiences at Dhs399.
The campaign sold more than 5,000 vouchers, generating approximately Dhs1.35m in revenue. Beyond immediate sales, the strategy provided customers with different entry points into the hotel, potentially converting a restaurant, spa or leisure visit into a longer-term relationship with the brand. That approach is also evident in e-gifting, which has developed into a direct revenue channel. By packaging rooms, dining, wellness and lifestyle experiences as products that can be purchased before a customer has decided to visit, Palazzo Versace Dubai is effectively adding a retail layer to its hospitality business.
During the summer, more than 8,900 vouchers were sold through the platform, generating approximately Dhs2.4m. For Darwish, however, diversification is not simply about adding products. The underlying test is whether innovation produces tangible value.
“Innovation for us is not about technology for the sake of technology,” he says. “Whether it is AI, digital performance or a new commercial concept, it has to make the guest journey better, make our teams more effective or create measurable value for the business.”
Putting AI to work
That philosophy is particularly relevant as artificial intelligence becomes more prominent across hospitality.
At Palazzo Versace Dubai, one of the most visible examples is Laura, an AI-powered digital human assistant designed to support guest enquiries while transferring conversations to hotel employees when human intervention is required.
During Laura’s first 10 weeks, the system handled 5,005 conversations, resolving 87.2 per cent without escalation. Another 641 conversations were transferred for further assistance. More significantly from a commercial perspective, those interactions contributed to an identified pipeline valued at $3.27m.
The hotel has since expanded Laura’s role through an outbound calling campaign, testing whether conversational AI can move from responding to enquiries to supporting proactive commercial outreach at scale. For Palazzo Hospitality, the objective is not to automate luxury hospitality at the expense of personal service. Instead, technology can handle high-volume and repetitive interactions, while employees concentrate on areas where human attention provides greater value.
Digital marketing is being subjected to a similarly commercial test. During the summer, Palazzo Versace Dubai’s Rooms Search and Performance Max campaigns generated more than 800,000 impressions and 88,000 clicks, translating into 116 confirmed bookings, 352 room nights and more than Dhs274,000 in attributed revenue.
Digital bookings increased approximately 70 per cent year on year during the period, while room nights rose 55 per cent and attributed revenue increased 65 per cent. The principle is straightforward: digital visibility matters, but turning that attention into business matters more.
Beyond the hotel stay
Commercial diversification also extends to meetings, events and celebrations.
Despite pressure across the hospitality and events landscape during the first half of 2026, Palazzo Versace Dubai’s Events & Catering revenue outperformed the corresponding period a year earlier.
The segment illustrates the commercial value of treating a luxury hotel as a destination rather than simply accommodation. A corporate conference can generate room nights and dining revenue, while a wedding can combine accommodation, banqueting and celebrations across multiple areas of the property.
Supporting this strategy is Grazie, Palazzo Versace Dubai’s Partner Reward Programme, which recognises corporate partners, event companies and travel management companies generating qualifying direct business across rooms, meeting facilities and event spaces. The wider objective is to bring different audiences into the hotel and give them reasons to return, whether for another event, a restaurant visit, wellness experience or future stay.
Taking UAE expertise abroad
While Palazzo Versace Dubai remains the flagship, the next stage of Darwish’s strategy increasingly lies beyond the UAE. The clearest expression so far is Ezulwini Palazzo in the Kingdom of Eswatini.
The property was officially opened by His Majesty King Mswati III during celebrations marking the King’s birthday and 40 years on the throne. Soon afterwards, Ezulwini Palazzo played a role in the OACPS–EU conference programme held in Eswatini from May 7-14, 2026. For Palazzo Hospitality, the development represents more than geographic expansion. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate whether hospitality expertise built in the UAE can be successfully adapted to a different destination and operating environment.
The objective is not to recreate Dubai elsewhere. Instead, the group aims to combine its management standards and commercial expertise with the culture, character and requirements of individual markets.
Darwish says: “Palazzo Versace Dubai gave us a strong foundation, but our ambition has always extended beyond a single property. As Palazzo Hospitality grows internationally, our objective is to take the expertise we have built in the UAE into new markets while creating something that is relevant to each destination.”
That philosophy will become increasingly important as the company scales. With more than 10 projects in the pipeline, Palazzo Hospitality is focusing its next phase of growth on the Middle East, Africa and selected international markets.
Built for the next phase
Darwish’s entrepreneurial career began in the early 2000s and, in 2007, he was recognised by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum with the Young Business Leader of the Year Award for his business achievements and innovative vision. He became a partner in Palazzo Versace Dubai in 2013 and its managing director in 2017, before establishing Palazzo Hospitality two years later.
Today, the group’s growth strategy rests on four broad pillars: resilience through changing market conditions; commercial innovation that creates revenue beyond rooms; technology that improves engagement and conversion; and international expansion adapted to individual destinations. For Darwish, those elements are interconnected. AI has to improve the guest journey or commercial performance. Marketing has to translate attention into revenue. Hotels need to create reasons to visit beyond an overnight stay. And international expansion has to reflect individual destinations rather than impose a single formula.
For a company built on the foundation of one of Dubai’s most distinctive luxury properties, the next chapter is therefore about more than adding hotels to a portfolio. It is
about taking the commercial and operational expertise developed in the UAE and demonstrating how effectively it can travel.
