Interviewee: Zineb El Fakir, Director of Marketing – NH Collection Dubai The Palm
Some people discover hospitality in the polished halls of five-star hotels. For Zineb El Fakir, it began on dusty construction sites, trailing behind her engineer father, her sneakers caked in freshly poured concrete. Long before she understood job titles or guest journeys, she was quietly absorbing the essence of hospitality, not in theory, but in motion.
“I grew up on hotel construction sites, always chasing after my father,” she recalls. “Most days, he would pick me up from school, only to make a ‘quick stop’ at one of his sites. I’d eat my snack between piles of cement.”
While other kids dreamed of space and stethoscopes, Zineb had a simpler answer when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up: “I want to work in a hotel.” No specific title. Just the feeling.
Still, she followed a pragmatic path, business school in France, a career in banking and the automotive industry, and building brands that didn’t quite ignite her passion. But marketing always lingered. “Crafting a campaign feels like choreographing a dance,” she says. “As a dancer, I needed a space where ideas could move freely.”
Then came COVID, the great global pause and with it, clarity. “My career in automotive was peaking, but I asked myself, ‘Is this really what I want to do?’” she says. The answer led her to take a leap of faith into hospitality marketing. Her first role? Leading marketing for Hilton Tangier- no hospitality background, just instinct and creative fire.
That spark hasn’t dimmed. Since then, Zineb has left a bold mark on every campaign she’s touched, from heartwarming moments like Fairmont Tangier’s surprise Mother’s Day tribute, where staff were reunited with their mothers to reimagining F&B narratives and building emotional guest experiences from scratch.
“Marketing isn’t about selling,” she explains. “It’s about feeling. It’s a bridge between what we tell and what people remember.”
That mindset guided her next big step: joining the pre-opening team of Fairmont Tazi Palace Tangier. “It felt like a full-circle moment. The little girl walking construction sites was now part of the strategy room, from hard hats to grand opening speeches.” It was there, in the long nights and launch chaos, that she learned the grit behind the glamour.
Today, as Director of Marketing at NH Collection Dubai The Palm, Zineb has found her rhythm in a city she calls a mirror of herself, “part East, part West, a little sparkle, a lot of soul.” In her two years at the property, she’s built an award-winning marketing presence across digital, content, and social platforms. But for her, it’s never about vanity metrics.
“I don’t chase numbers. I care about the faces, the guests who check in with wonder and check out with stories.”
Her journey has also shaped her outlook on the future of marketing in hospitality. “It’s no longer just a support role. It’s a voice. A vision. A work of art.”
Zineb’s story is also a message for the industry: “Don’t shy away from hiring people from outside hospitality. Especially in marketing. Fresh eyes bring fresh ideas. That’s when it gets interesting.”
And her own story isn’t done. One day, she hopes to open a luxury guesthouse in Morocco’s northern mountains, not a resort or palace, but a soulful 44-room hideaway. “Why 44? Because it’s my lucky number. Even dreams are allowed their quirks,” she smiles.
For now, she continues to learn, create, and connect, building beautiful memories for others, while quietly collecting stories of her own.