UNOX Expands Smart Kitchen Technology in Saudi Arabia as Hotel Demand Accelerates

UNOX General Manager Abdallah Kassis explains how smart ovens, sustainability, local cuisine and expanded Saudi operations are reshaping hotel and resort kitchens.

Saudi Arabia’s rapidly expanding hospitality sector is creating new demands for kitchen technology, operational efficiency and sustainable foodservice solutions. As hotel brands expand beyond Riyadh and other established centres into emerging destinations, suppliers are being challenged to deliver technology, training and after-sales support at greater speed and scale.

In an exclusive interview with Travel And Tour World (TTW), Abdallah Kassis, General Manager of UNOX, spoke with TTW Correspondent Mohammed about the company’s latest kitchen innovations, its growing presence in Saudi Arabia, sustainability strategy and efforts to integrate authentic Saudi cuisine into its technology.

Kassis explained that UNOX has evolved beyond its traditional role as a manufacturer, increasingly positioning itself as a technology company that integrates advanced digital capabilities into professional cooking equipment. The company’s approach is focused on making kitchen operations easier, more consistent and less dependent on manual intervention.

How is UNOX using technology to transform hotel kitchen operations?

UNOX is incorporating technologies designed to simplify professional kitchen operations and improve consistency. One of the key innovations highlighted by Kassis is Optic Cooking, which uses a camera incorporated into the company’s CHEFTOP X and BAKERTOP X ovens to recognise what has been placed on the cooking tray.

According to Kassis, the technology is intended to make the chef’s work easier while reducing operational errors. The ovens can also respond to voice commands, allowing chefs to perform functions such as preheating without physically interacting with the equipment.

This hands-free approach can be particularly useful in busy commercial kitchens where chefs may have limited availability to operate machinery directly. Kassis said UNOX is focused on creating a seamless kitchen operation in which technology can reduce human error and support repeatability and consistency.

The company’s technology also incorporates recipes, enabling users to achieve more consistent results even when the most experienced chef is not present.

Why is Saudi Arabia becoming an important market for UNOX?

Saudi Arabia has become a major focus for UNOX as the Kingdom continues to develop its hospitality infrastructure and large-scale tourism projects. Kassis, who said he has spent much of his professional life in Saudi Arabia, described the pace of change in the country as exceptionally fast.

His message was direct: businesses operating in the Kingdom need to adapt quickly to remain competitive.

UNOX manufactures its equipment in Italy, and Kassis acknowledged that international delivery times can present challenges when demand increases rapidly. To address this, the company has accelerated production at its Italian manufacturing facilities.

The company previously operated a 130,000-square-metre factory and added another 70,000 square metres over the past three to four years. Kassis said this expansion has helped UNOX respond to growing international demand, particularly from Saudi Arabia and major giga-projects.

UNOX has also established a physical office in Saudi Arabia, with 14 employees, alongside a wider service network. This local presence is designed to improve the speed at which products and services can reach customers throughout the Kingdom.

How is UNOX addressing sustainability in hospitality kitchens?

Sustainability is another major part of UNOX’s strategy. Kassis explained that the company considers sustainability across three stages: the suppliers from which it purchases components, its own manufacturing processes and the distribution of finished products.

UNOX seeks to work with sustainable suppliers while also focusing on the environmental impact of its manufacturing operations. The company has installed solar panels at its factories that generate four megawatts of power, while additional electricity required from the grid is sourced through a green energy provider.

The company is also incorporating energy-saving technology directly into its ovens. Kassis highlighted UNOX’s Smart Energy feature, which he said can reduce energy use by up to 38% compared with standard equipment in the kitchen.

He also pointed to the company’s extensive Energy Star certification across its product range, reflecting its focus on reducing energy consumption through equipment design.

For hotels and resorts, where commercial kitchens can operate for long hours and consume substantial amounts of energy, energy-efficient cooking equipment can form an important part of wider sustainability strategies.

How is UNOX keeping pace with Saudi Arabia’s expanding hotel network?

Saudi Arabia’s hospitality expansion is no longer limited to the Kingdom’s biggest cities. New tourism and hotel developments are extending into secondary and more remote locations, creating additional logistical and servicing challenges.

Kassis explained that UNOX responded by developing a dealer and service network capable of supporting customers across Saudi Arabia. The company currently works with six dealers across the Kingdom, while also collaborating with service providers capable of supporting equipment in more remote areas.

The company aims to provide 24-hour support, although Kassis acknowledged that achieving this consistently across every location remains an ongoing process.

Beyond servicing machinery, UNOX’s support model includes training people to use its equipment correctly. The company also sends its own personnel to different cities as part of its effort to remain accessible to hospitality customers as the market expands.

This combination of dealers, service providers, training and direct company involvement is becoming increasingly important as hotel development spreads across the Kingdom.

How is UNOX bringing Saudi cuisine into smart ovens?

One of the most distinctive developments discussed in the interview involves the integration of Saudi dishes into UNOX’s oven programmes.

Kassis said the initiative emerged partly from feedback from UNOX’s Saudi employees. The company’s existing menus and ready-to-use programmes did not contain enough Saudi cuisine, prompting its local team to request greater representation of traditional dishes.

UNOX is therefore developing a new menu designed specifically to enable Saudi dishes to be prepared using its ovens. Kassis said the new menu is expected to become available through an update to the X model, with the programme potentially installed automatically on existing machines.

The development reflects a broader challenge facing international hospitality brands in Saudi Arabia: balancing global dining concepts with local culinary identity.

For hotels and resorts, technology that supports both international menus and regional cuisine can provide greater flexibility while helping properties maintain a stronger connection with their destination.

What does UNOX’s Saudi expansion mean for the future of hospitality technology?

UNOX’s strategy illustrates how professional kitchen technology is evolving alongside the global hospitality industry. Rather than focusing solely on equipment manufacturing, the company is increasingly combining automation, artificial intelligence-related capabilities, energy efficiency, operational support and culinary programming.

Saudi Arabia provides a particularly significant testing ground for this approach because of the speed and scale of its tourism and hospitality development.

The expansion of production capacity in Italy, establishment of a Saudi office, development of a nationwide dealer network and introduction of Saudi-focused cooking programmes all point towards a strategy designed to respond to a rapidly changing market.

Kassis also praised TTW’s international coverage during the interview, describing its work across travel, tourism and hospitality markets as professional and providing information and insights into brands and markets around the world.

For UNOX, the next phase appears to centre on making professional kitchens smarter, more sustainable and easier to operate while ensuring that technology remains relevant to the culinary traditions of the markets in which it operates.

As Saudi Arabia continues to develop its hotel, resort and tourism infrastructure, companies capable of combining advanced technology with local knowledge are likely to play an increasingly important role in supporting the Kingdom’s hospitality ambitions.