ME by Meliá Dubai Appoints Arlette Richter-Picardo as General Manager
Dubai, UAE | September 28, 2026 — ME by Meliá Dubai has appointed Arlette Richter-Picardo as General Manager, strengthening the leadership of the design-led luxury lifestyle hotel. She will oversee commercial performance, hotel operations, profitability, guest experience, and the continued development of the property’s dining, wellness, and cultural offerings.
Richter-Picardo brings more than 15 years of experience across the UAE’s luxury and lifestyle hospitality sector, with a leadership background spanning hotel operations, commercial strategy, food and beverage, brand development, and team management.
Arlette Richter-Picardo’s Hospitality Leadership Journey
Before joining ME by Meliá Dubai, Richter-Picardo served as General Manager of Hotel Local Dubai. During her tenure, she led the hotel’s rebranding and transition into Marriott’s Autograph Collection, helping align the property’s existing identity with its new brand affiliation.
Her work included refining the guest journey and developing the hotel’s signature Autograph moment to reflect its individual character and positioning within the collection.
Her previous senior leadership experience includes roles at Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah, The Dubai EDITION, Marriott Hotel & Executive Apartments Downtown Abu Dhabi, and The St. Regis Abu Dhabi.
Throughout her career, she has led teams of more than 700 employees, gaining experience across commercial performance, guest services, food and beverage, and hotel operations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Key Priorities at ME by Meliá Dubai
In her new role, Richter-Picardo will focus on strengthening the hotel’s commercial performance while maintaining high service standards and delivering distinctive guest experiences.
Her responsibilities will include:
- Commercial performance and profitability: Identifying growth opportunities and supporting the hotel’s business objectives.
- Guest experience: Enhancing service standards and creating memorable, personalised stays.
- People and culture: Developing teams, strengthening workplace culture, and supporting employee growth.
- Dining and lifestyle experiences: Evolving the hotel’s food and beverage concepts, wellness offering, and cultural programming.
- Brand positioning: Building on the property’s distinctive identity in Dubai’s competitive luxury hospitality market.
These priorities reflect the growing importance of combining strong hotel operations with lifestyle experiences and a clearly defined brand identity.
Building on ME by Meliá Dubai’s Distinctive Identity
ME by Meliá Dubai is known for its contemporary lifestyle positioning and architecture designed by the late Zaha Hadid. Under Richter-Picardo’s leadership, the hotel aims to build on its established identity while evolving its guest experience, dining, wellness, and cultural offerings.
Dubai’s luxury hotel market continues to place significant emphasis on differentiation, service quality, and innovative experiences. Developing an offering that resonates with changing guest expectations will be an important part of the hotel’s continued commercial and operational focus.
Commenting on her appointment, Richter-Picardo said that her role would be to build on the hotel’s distinctive identity and translate it into meaningful guest experiences and strong business performance.
She also highlighted the pace of change in Dubai’s hospitality landscape, emphasising the importance of continually evolving the hotel’s guest experience, dining, culture, and service while identifying new opportunities for growth.
A New Leadership Chapter for ME by Meliá Dubai
Richter-Picardo’s appointment brings extensive UAE hospitality experience to ME by Meliá Dubai, with a remit spanning business performance, operations, people development, and lifestyle experiences.
Her leadership will focus on maintaining the hotel’s distinctive market position while supporting commercial growth and delivering relevant, high-quality experiences for guests.
Source: Hospitality industry announcement, September 28, 2026.
