Tell us about yourself and your background. (Include how you got started in business)
My name is Samir and I’m the CEO of Advanced Digital Technology, developers of Lokalee. Prior to founding Lokalee I worked for about 20 years in global hospitality IT, most recently as Corporate VP of IT with Rotana Hotels Management. In 2020 I founded Lokalee – an AI-powered content platform specifically developed for hotels – which enabled me to combine my passion for technology and the hospitality industry.
What inspired you to found Lokalee?
I founded Lokalee because I wanted to transform travel experiences, while at the same time solving common pain points in the hotel and travel industry with regards to sourcing, curating and updating destination content. I believe that the cornerstone of success in hospitality lies in the delivery of an interactive, integrated and individualized guest experience.
Why did you choose Dubai as the base for your startup?
Dubai is an established global tourism and hospitality hub, making it a strategic location to access all types of partnerships. Also, Dubai’s business ecosystem is very supportive of startups and innovation.
What exactly does Lokalee do?
Lokalee is an AI-powered content platform which centralizes property offers and services along with curated local activities into a single intuitive platform. Designed for hotels and short stays, Lokalee enhances the guest experience, simplifies service management, and drives new revenue streams. The customizable platform acts as a guest and travel companion offering a seamless guest request management solution, AI trip planner, expert travel tips, and a digital concierge service which allows guests to explore and book everything a property and the destination has to offer, sourced by Lokal Curators and supported by global partners.
What sets you apart from your competitors in the marketplace?
Lokalee is unique in that we drive unmatched guest engagement through highly personalized recommendations to users. We provide distinctive experiences for guests while they stay at our customers’ properties through our global ecosystem of Lokal Curators – destination experts who find the best-hidden gems and unique experiences for travelers.
As a digital-first solution, we’re redefining the industry by helping hotels and short stays digitize guest services and engagement by offering on-demand service fulfilment that is guaranteed to elevate the guest experience.
What has been your biggest challenge so far in growing the company?
The concept of a co-branded platform on which guests can manage their entire stay and trip needs is quite new and so driving guest traffic to these partner pages requires exhaustive resources, especially time. As we operate globally, scaling new markets while maintaining quality and speed can also be a challenge.
Lokalee has received wide acclaim and recognition since its launch. What does this success mean to you?
It means we’re on the right path. Recognition from the industry reinforces our vision at Lokalee, acknowledging the need for innovation, and motivating our team to keep up the good work. It’s a solid steppingstone for more growth and attracting business opportunities and partnerships.
What is the biggest challenge facing hoteliers in the Middle East right now?
I believe that the biggest challenge for hoteliers today and in the future is matching operational efficiency with guest personalization. Lokalee helps property managers and owner address the growing demand for tech-enabled guest services with solutions like our co-branded platforms, AI tools, and streamlined guest communications.
Earlier this year, Lokalee successfully raised USD 5.6 Million of pre-Series A funding, how did you secure this funding?
We focused on demonstrating product-market fit and scalability, highlighting our innovative capabilities and growth potential to investors. Securing the funding was made possible through strategic storytelling and leveraging the high-level personal network of global connections built throughout my career.
How have you grown Lokalee with this investment?
We have scaled our marketing, sales, operations, and team’s capacity. We also invested in product enhancements by adding more powerful features to our tools that solve further challenges, attracting new market segments.
Lokalee has been acquired by beaconsmind Group, along with Swissnet AG, as part of their transformation into Swissnet Group AG, for AED 45.8 million just last month. With this acquisition, what is next for Lokalee?
With the acquisition of Lokalee by beaconsmind Group, we will now be part of a fully integrated solution that creates a unique and leading AI-driven service offering for hospitality clients.
Integrating and leveraging the group’s resources and solutions will help accelerate the expansion of Lokalee’s footprint both in Europe and the Gulf
What is your decision-making style and how do you manage the extra pressure felt post-fundraising and post-acquisition?
When it comes to decision-making, I rely on a combination of data, agility and my intuition from years of experience in the industry. I believe that maintaining a culture of transparency and collaboration is the best way to keep Lokalee’s team motivated to deliver under high pressure.
What future trends do you see for the hospitality industry in the Middle East?
We are already witnessing a rising interest in culturally authentic and sustainable tourism, and this trend among travelers will continue. In the future, we will see an increased demand for personalized guest experiences and digitization in hospitality. Along with this growing demand, there will be more fascinating integrations of AI in tech solutions for the industry.
What are your top tips for companies looking to raise funding?
Successful fundraising requires that you have done the research and are prepared with a mission-driven and realistic financial business plan. You need to build strong relationships with investors which must be based on transparency and financial metrics.
What are your growth plans for the next 5 years? And your long-term vision?
Our goal is to expand Lokalee’s presence globally. I would like to see Lokalee in the most prominent hotels in every city across Europe, the GCC, and Asia. My vision is for Lokalee to become the go-to platform for partnerships seeking authentic and sustainable tourism solutions. Finally, we will continue building and strengthening partnerships with global hospitality leaders in order to find common ways to create a positive impact on the industry.
How can readers find out more about you and Lokalee?
