Categories & shortlist
Who's in the running — and how they're judged.
The shortlisted companies per category sit up top. Below, every award states its rules — all judged by an independent jury on the performance data available.
The shortlist
Entries are closed. These are the companies shortlisted by the awards team and now in front of the independent jury. Operators enter Best Operator once and appear in every size and emirate award their units place them in. Winners are announced at the gala dinner on 30 September 2026.
The categories explained
Eleven awards, each with clear entry rules. Operators enter Best Operator once and are classified into the size and emirate awards automatically. Every award is judged by an independent jury on the performance data available — no ambiguity, no moving goalposts.
You enter Best Operator once. We do the sorting.
There's no category to choose and no box to tick. Tell us how many units you run and where they are, and your entry is automatically considered for the operator awards it qualifies for — by size and by emirate. Every operator entry competes for the headline UAE award as standard.
Best Revenue Management — Dubai & Abu Dhabi
The sharpest revenue management on a single Dubai or Abu Dhabi apartment over the performance period, decided on documented net revenue from 1 January 2025 to 1 September 2026.
View categoryBest Designed Portfolio
The most thoughtful design execution across a portfolio — consistency, distinctiveness and commercial impact, not single hero units.
View categoryBest AI Tools — Self-Built or Adoption
Operators who have meaningfully changed how their business runs through AI — built in-house or adopted — measured on impact, not novelty.
View categoryBest Marketing Campaign
The single most effective marketing campaign of the 2025–2026 period. The only Year 1 category open beyond operators — vendors and internal departments may enter.
View categoryIndustry Pioneer
The person doing the most to lead and shape the UAE short-term rental industry — pushing standards, ideas and the market forward. Decided by a member vote, regardless of age or tenure.
View categoryEntries are closed
Judging is under way. Join the industry at the gala dinner on 30 September 2026 to see who wins.
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