Co-Founder & CEO of ENVI Lodges
Chris is the Co-Founder & CEO of ENVI Lodges, a luxury ecolodge brand and management company that specializes in low-impact alternative accommodation immersed in nature, based on the principles of regenerative tourism. This contributed to ENVI quickly becoming a leading company in the space of responsible tourism and allowed the company to win the 2021 Transformational Business of the Year award in Dubai.
The company has a portfolio of exciting properties in the Middle East and Africa. It is currently operating in Tanzania, with additional lodges opening soon in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Zanzibar. Chris and his business partner Noelle were also named amongst the top 50 most influential hoteliers in the Middle East in three consecutive years and are regularly invited to speak at various industry conferences and hospitality podcasts.
Chris began his career in hospitality at a very young age. He was born into a family of hoteliers and started “working” at the family-owned Yacht Club when he was 10. Subsequently, he gained valuable experience in food and beverage at several trendy restaurants and beach clubs in Lebanon. After an MBA at the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in 2008, Chris joined the team that launched Shaza Hotels in Geneva. He then took on the role of Vice-President Development for Kempinski Hotels, covering Africa and the Middle East. In 2021, ENVI Lodges was born, which marked the start of Chris’ entrepreneurial journey in hospitality.
