Role overview
Our client is a major Saudi-based developer delivering one of the Kingdom's flagship mixed-use destinations. With a long-term masterplan encompassing residential, leisure and hospitality assets, and a significant pipeline of hotel transactions with leading international brands, they are seeking a Senior Hotel and Hospitality Lawyer to join the in-house legal team in Riyadh on a permanent basis.
Key responsibilities
- Manage the hotel and hospitality vertical, covering a portfolio of transactions with major international brands including Marriott, Accor, Hilton and Four Seasons
- Draft, review and negotiate hotel management agreements (HMAs), franchise agreements and owner-side development documentation
- Advise on front-end construction matters relating to hospitality assets as well as back-end disputes and claims
- Support the transition of hotel-related legal work from external counsel to an in-house model, directly reducing external legal spend
- Mentor and develop junior lawyers within the legal department
- Collaborate closely with the Real Estate and Construction legal teams across a long-term development pipeline
Candidate profile
- Common law qualified with 10 to 15 years' PQE
- Experienced in hotel and hospitality law, with demonstrable owner and investor-side experience acting against major international hotel brands
- Experience across private practice and in-house, ideally with exposure to large-scale mixed-use or real estate developments
- Regional GCC experience is highly valued but not essential for exceptional candidates
About Meyssa Legal
Meyssa Legal places lawyers across private practice and in-house roles in the UAE, with deep experience in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We work consultatively with leading firms, in-house teams, and senior counsel across banking and finance, disputes, corporate, regulatory, and TMT.
Our approach prioritises judgment over targets and discretion over volume. We brief every role in confidence, submit only candidates we genuinely believe fit, and treat every conversation as the start of a long-term relationship.
