Dr Hanin Alsubaie is at the forefront of Saudi Arabia’s evolving hospitality landscape, pioneering a platform that connects local hosts with travellers seeking authentic, homegrown experiences. In 2020, she founded Darent as a private initiative to address a growing demand for alternative accommodation solutions in the Kingdom. A year later, the venture formally launched as a company, rapidly gaining traction and attracting a $1 million pre-seed investment round in March 2021.
Today, Darent lists over 4,000 hosts and 6,000 keys, reflecting Dr Alsubaie’s vision to empower individuals and small businesses to actively participate in and benefit from the tourism economy. Her work is not only reshaping how travellers explore Saudi Arabia but also supporting the nation’s wider tourism and entrepreneurship goals.
Beyond Darent, Dr Alsubaie lends her expertise as a speaker at the Human Capability Initiative in Riyadh and as a part-time consultant with Monsha’at, the Kingdom’s Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority. Her mission is clear: to drive sustainable tourism growth by building an ecosystem rooted in local empowerment, innovation and cultural authenticity within Saudi Arabia and across the wider MENA region.
