In 2017, Shaher Moh’d Ali Awartani joined H.E. Yousif Al Otaiba and Mubadala Investment Company to co-found Café Milano Abu Dhabi, bringing the well-known Washington, D.C. restaurant brand to the UAE capital’s Four Seasons Hotel. The venture marked Awartani’s first move into the hospitality sector, adding a consumer-facing business to a portfolio built mainly on infrastructure, real estate, and financial services.
Café Milano’s Washington original has long been a meeting point for diplomatic and political figures — a character that transfers naturally to Abu Dhabi’s Four Seasons, where the clientele includes government and institutional figures in much the same way. The Abu Dhabi location is the only Café Milano outside Washington, D.C., giving the venture an exclusive position that sits well within the Four Seasons’ luxury hospitality offer.
The Partnership Behind Café Milano Abu Dhabi
The partners involved in Café Milano Abu Dhabi bring significant institutional weight to the venture. Yousif Al Otaiba, the UAE’s long-serving Ambassador to the United States, brings diplomatic standing and direct familiarity with Café Milano’s Washington presence. Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi’s diversified sovereign wealth fund with assets exceeding USD 300 billion, provides institutional grounding.
For Awartani, whose construction and investment portfolio already connected him to many of the same stakeholders, the hospitality venture was a natural next step. It added a consumer-facing business to an otherwise institutional portfolio.
Reem Hospital: A Healthcare Investment in Abu Dhabi
In 2020, Awartani and his partners — including Yousif Al Otaiba and the Bashee family — became substantial shareholders in Reem Hospital Abu Dhabi. The transaction also brought in InvestCorp of Bahrain, Mubadala Investment Company with a 25% stake, and Wisayah Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco.
The investor base for Reem Hospital is notable for its breadth. Mubadala represents Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth. InvestCorp is a Bahrain-based alternative asset manager. Wisayah Capital is an Aramco subsidiary. The presence of these institutions alongside private investors such as Awartani reflects the hospital’s standing as a premium private healthcare asset in a market with strong long-term demand.
Abu Dhabi’s Private Healthcare Sector
The UAE’s private healthcare sector has grown steadily over the past decade. Population growth, wider health insurance coverage, and government efforts to reduce the need for medical travel abroad have all driven demand. Abu Dhabi has put significant investment into building high-quality private healthcare infrastructure, which creates a supportive environment for premium hospital operators such as Reem.
A Portfolio With a Clear Shape
Taken together, Awartani’s hospitality and healthcare investments follow a consistent logic: premium consumer and service assets in Abu Dhabi, held alongside sovereign or institutional co-investors, in sectors that benefit from the emirate’s growing population and rising affluence. Construction formed the foundation of his career. Real estate and private equity added diversification. Hospitality and healthcare contribute long-duration, cash-flow-generating assets to a portfolio built with the long term in mind.
