Reem Abou Samra is a story of tenacity, passion, and vision. Born in Syria, Reem moved to Dubai and began building her beauty empire. She dreamed of building an empire that would be recognized in a strong competitive market. Her love for fashion, beauty, and wellness inspired her to come up with a very successful string of ventures, most notably the Laloge Beauty Lounge chain. Today, the abbreviation Laloge stands for luxury in all its senses, and for their clients, it accounts for a one-of-its-kind experience. After all, today, there are branches at every nook and corner of Dubai. It’s not a place to go for a haircut or a manicure but an experience of luxury and taste.

Ever since Reem opened business, it’s been all about making a woman not only beautiful but also confident and empowered. She once said, “When a woman leaves our salon, she walks out with confidence, feeling special. That’s what beauty is about.” This commitment to customer experience is the heart of her success, making her different from anyone else in the wide range of beauty providers within the UAE’s fast-paced industry.

Reem Abou Samra is another notable personality seen in the fashion world. She has modeled and represented a lot of international luxury brands, including Chanel, Gucci, Revolve, Dior, among others, in the course of years. The glamour that revels and nurtures, her sense of style chic, elegant, along with always keeping up with the latest, has kept her name in Vogue, GQ, and other such prestige magazines as that of a style icon. The thing that differentiates her is the way she can make effortless switches between being an entrepreneur and a fashion ambassador. It matters not whether it is fashion parades on high-profile stages or at the helm of some of the world’s top brands; Reem continues to inspire many with her excellence in everything she does.

Reem Abou Samra didn’t stop at beauty salons. Of course, this led to additional businesses in the form of Laloge Events and Little Angels Luxury Boutique, which catered to high-end clients and created unique experiences. To Reem, the beauty industry wasn’t just about aesthetics but creating a space whereby women feel empowered and cherished. In the near future, she plans to take Laloge international and finally expand into the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia and then London. We’re ready to franchise anywhere in the world, and we’ll be picking the best opportunities,” she revealed in an interview recently. Reem puts much emphasis on family and personal well-being.

She often speaks of the necessity for balance in her life—be it spending quality time with her daughters or practicing mindfulness and meditation to manage the stresses of running a business. She is very proud to balance a blooming career with the demands of her family-a feat she feels not only makes her an entrepreneur but also a role model for women seeking to succeed in both personal and professional pursuits. Being an entrepreneur, Reem continues innovating and inspires others.

Success is not only about profits for Reem; it’s evolving and learning, which impacts positively on the people surrounding her. She wants to bring further revolution into the beauty industry in the UAE and reach out to develop ideas such as establishing an academy for the training of hairstylists and other professionals in their respective fields with a view of maintaining high practice standards across the region.

Carlton Hotels & Suites was established in 1977 with the launch of Carlton Tower Hotel in Deira, Dubai’s first five-star hotel. This small investment in the emirate mushroomed into a multinational hospitality brand recognized for excellence and sophistication. Today, the Carlton Hotels & Suites brand extends throughout the Middle East and Europe, and is characterized by luxury and comfort and world-class service. Starting from humble beginnings, the group has evolved into a group that has 9 directly managed hotels and 3 franchise-operated properties, all offering guests unforgettable hospitable experiences. Its headquarters are located on Sheikh Zayed Road, behind the iconic Burj Khalifa, set once more as the standard of luxury hotel excellences in this region.

It was then when hospitality in Dubai started changing with the opening of Carlton Tower Hotel in 1977, marking the city’s first 5-star property. The land-mark hotel based at the heart of Deira became a springboard for Carlson in hospitality. Carlson Hotels & Suites has aggressively expanded its offerings by increasing its presence in some of the biggest markets across the Middle East and Europe over the years. Today, it runs 12 hotels across 3 countries in the Asia-Africa-Indian Ocean and Asia-Pacific regions, accounting for 1,156 hotel rooms. The most recent upcoming asset by the chain will be Carlton Dubai Creek, which is scheduled to launch in 2022.

Carlton Hotels & Suites is owned by First Investor LLC, part of the Al Fardan Group of Holdings, which boasts more than 25 years of experience as a global investment company. Under their leadership, Carlton Hotels has thrived. However, in 2017, the group made one great stride ahead with the Carlton Downtown Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road. Housed in one of Dubai’s twin buildings famous worldwide, this property raised the standing of the brand to another level. The Carlton Downtown Hotel has gained international acclaim for striking structure and premier comforts. This ranks among the top 30 tallest hotels in the world; its rooftop, open-air pool, and views of the Dubai skyline make it one of the highest open-air rooftops for visitors.

What Carlton Downtown is famous for is its lavish Ramadan celebrations. In 2017, a global news discussion was sparked by placing the world’s tallest Ramadan tent on the hotel’s premises. This highly captivated locals and tourists alike as a point of interest. As such, the luxurious Ramadan celebrations became an annual affair, attracting visitors to the hotel from all corners of the globe.

Carlton Hotels & Suites is success story for its bright delivery of excellent service and hospitality. Expanding a company, the corporation continues to be consistent in delivering excellence in all aspects of operations. The Hotelier Middle East magazine ranked Hosni Abdelhadi, CEO of Carlton Hotels & Suites, 37th among the most powerful people in hospitality industry back in 2019. Such rankings further prove that the company commands influence and leadership in that area.

Carlton Hotels & Suites is designed for the future, in the near and the far. The company has built such a solid base in the Middle East and continues to grow throughout Europe that opportunities for further expansion will not go neglected while, on the other hand, the core element of values – from the very best luxury and comfort to unmatched hospitality, will never be overlooked. Soon enough, in the near future, the Dubai Creek will be a part of the company’s portfolio, another luxurious destination to offer its guests the best of Dubai.

The Carlton Hotels & Suites continues to maintain the very best standards of service to deliver unforgettable experiences for their guests as it expands and develops its presence in the global hospitality map. Rooted in a rich history where the company was born with Dubai rising up as a global city, Carlton Hotels & Suites will remain number one and at the helm of the luxury hospitality scene for many years.

Mudassir Sheikha is a Pakistani-American who, along with Magnus Olsson, a Swede, who was also a consultant at McKinsey & Company before turning an entrepreneur, founded Careem. They started Careem back in 2012 with the aim of solving the transportation problem in the Middle East. Set for corporate car bookings, the app instantly turned out to be a full-scale ridesharing service. Careem’s ride-hailing service garnered considerable mileage in short-span and turned out to be a favourite across the region.

In March 2019, it was Uber that acquired Careem for $3.1 billion, marking yet another mile stone that saw Careem become the very first unicorn from the Middle East. Even after being acquired, Careem’s vision remained crystal clear: creating a platform for a wide array of everyday needs and thus the Super App by Careem. The company didn’t stop at ride-hailing. Careem Now launched in November 2018-food delivery service, and then grocery deliveries with Careem Quik in 2020-offering fast groceries and essentials delivery with its warehouse infrastructure streamlining services. Till 2022, Careem also launched a digital payment service, Careem Pay, transferring money, paying bills and shopping online by ease.

The Careem Super App became all-in-one for its users as it emerged with everything from bike and car rentals to discounts at restaurants and groceries and even payments for bills and online purchases. In 2023, the Super App was spun off as a separate entity as e& (Etisalat) purchased 50.03% of the shares while Uber still owned the ride-hailing business.

The Careem Super App has transformed how users from the Middle East interact with technology. It is yet another application that brings about multiple services under one platform to make life easy for the individual. For example, a user from Dubai can book rides, order food, get groceries delivered, and digital payments all on one application with just a few taps. Therefore, Careem’s integration of so many services has made it a favourite among busy professionals, students, and families alike. Careem is also heavily invested in social impact initiatives. The company has been a pioneering force when it comes to employing female drivers, particularly in traditionally male markets like Pakistan and Egypt, where women drive for Careem, and in Saudi Arabia, where Careem played a big role in helping to empower women to drive when the country ended its ban on female drivers in 2018.

The journey of Careem is not yet over. The company kept pushing the boundaries where it recently launched a “Flexi Ride” feature in Karachi; it allows riders and drivers to set their own prices. Careem Pay digital wallet services are growing with an increasing number of remittance corridors between the UAE and South Asia. In a bid to solidify its presence in the region, Careem recently announced plans to expand further. From ride provision to money transfers, Careem continues to shape the future of tech in the Middle East and across the world.

Conclusion:

From being a ride-hailing service to a super app, Careem has really grown. That’s the vision, right-from revolutionary thinking to moving forward and doing something for daily needs of millions. Its services, with many initiatives for social impact, and continued expansion make Careem all set to become the first-ever “everything app” in the Middle East. Whether it is a ride or a meal, or it is a fast grocery delivery-all those things are found in Careem’s Super App.