Chris Hartley

In 2004 Chris Hartley was one of the pioneers behind the launch of Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), and since 2006, has led its growth in forging a unique collaborative alliance, which enables independent, privately-owned hotel brands to compete with the world’s largest hotel companies.

Today GHA represents a collection of 40 brands with 800 hotels in 100 countries and offers a shared loyalty platform to 22 million customers. The award-winning GHA DISCOVERY loyalty programme generates US$2 billion in revenue and eight million room nights to its member brands annually. 

Chris started out in marketing with Forte Hotels and Kempinski Hotels before leading the team that created Shaza Hotels. He is a graduate of London University, where he obtained his Bachelors’ degree in French and German, before going on to complete his post-graduate studies in hotel business administration at Manchester University. He also holds an MBA from Reims Business School. Chris has lived and worked in Dubai since 2013.