Hotel and Hospitality Consultants in Saudi Arabia
Captivate advises hotel owners, operators and developers in Saudi Arabia from our base in the UAE. We help new hotels and venues make the right decisions before capital is committed, and we help existing hotels recover lost revenue and profit across rooms, food and beverage and procurement.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism reported more than 122 million domestic and international visits in 2025, against a Vision 2030 target of 150 million a year. More hotels mean more competition for the same guest, so every restaurant, café and lounge needs a clear reason to exist.
What we do for hotels in Saudi Arabia
F&B feasibility studies
Market, competition, guest and occasion, capital and return, with a go, no go or refine recommendation before capital is committed.
Concept creation and brand strategy
Restaurant, café and lounge concepts that connect the guest, the occasion, the menu and the operating model, so the team can deliver them every day.
Owner advisory and asset management
Budget and capital plan reviews, operator performance against the management agreement, P&L and KPI reviews, and pre opening oversight.
Hotel operational reviews
Rooms, F&B, engineering and guest experience reviewed on property, with a prioritised action plan your own team owns.
The 90-Day F&B Profit Recovery Sprint
Recovering the revenue and margin lost to low covers and spend, menu inefficiency, purchasing gaps, waste and scheduling.
Coaching for hotel leaders
Training and coaching for General Managers, executive committees, F&B directors and executive chefs, building commercial capability across hotel teams.
What shapes hotel F&B in Saudi Arabia
Our plans start from how hotels in the Kingdom trade:
- Drinks without alcohol: many venues trade without alcohol, so coffee, juices, mocktails and other non alcoholic drinks carry the beverage offer. Under USALI, those drinks are reported in food revenue, which can hide how the drinks offer really performs. Read: your beverage check is down
- Ramadan: iftar and suhoor change F&B dayparts, staffing and purchasing for a month each year.
- Events and seasons: Riyadh Season, conferences and sporting events bring peaks in demand, so venues need staffing and purchasing plans that flex up and down.
- Local guests: hotel restaurants compete with a growing independent dining scene, so a venue cannot rely on in house guests alone.
- Saudisation: workforce localisation rules shape recruitment, training and scheduling, so team structures need planning from the start.
- Owner and operator: many new hotels open under management agreements, and owners need an independent view of the budget, the pre opening plan and the operator.
Questions we help owners and developers answer
- How many restaurants, cafés and lounges does this hotel need, and who is each one for?
- Will this concept earn its return, or should the space do something else?
- How should the drinks offer be priced and reported when most of it is non alcoholic?
- Are the pre opening budget and staffing plan realistic for how the hotel will trade?
- Is the operator delivering what the management agreement promised?
How we work in Saudi Arabia
- Focused time on property: a full review on site, followed by a prioritised action plan your own team owns.
- Follow up between visits: progress tracked with the hotel team by video call and WhatsApp.
- Your team owns the actions: we advise and support; the hotel leads.
Experience
Captivate is led by Michael Butler, a former hotel General Manager and Corporate Director of F&B for Hyatt across Europe and India, where he oversaw 70 hotels. Across his career, Michael has supported more than 350 hotels and resorts.
Case study
Whole F&B operational review, GCC (completed late 2025)
Every F&B area of a large hotel reviewed over four and a half days on property, with a prioritised action plan owned by the hotel team.
Speaking
Michael spoke on sustainable and ethical procurement in the GCC at The Hotel Show Dubai 2025.
Frequently asked questions
Do you work with hotels in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. We advise hotel owners, operators and developers in Saudi Arabia from our base in the UAE, and across the GCC.
Do you support new hotel developments and pre openings?
Yes: feasibility, concept creation, brand strategy, asset management and pre opening oversight.
Can you plan F&B concepts without alcohol?
Yes. Our feasibility and concept work starts from the guest and the occasion. Where a venue trades without alcohol, the drinks offer, pricing and reporting are planned for that from the start.
How do you work with hotels outside the UAE?
We review the hotel on property, then follow up with the hotel team remotely between visits.
How does an engagement start?
With a confidential 30 minute call with Michael Butler, with no commitment.
Planning a hotel or venue in Saudi Arabia?
Use the contact form, or message Michael on WhatsApp.
