The Inter-Continental Hotel Dubai has promoted Haitham Mattar as its director of sales and marketing.

Mattar, who joined the hotel as its front office manager in 2000, will add a new zest to the sales and marketing department, the hotel said in a statement.

A native of the United States, Mattar holds a bachelor's degree in business administration in marketing from the Vanier College in Orlando.

He has more than 15 years of experience in various positions in five-star hotels in the US and UAE.

Meanwhile, Italian Marcello Rivetti has joined the Inter-Continental Dubai as the chef at the hotel's Italian restaurant La Moda.

Rivetti brings 13 years of experience working at a number of famous Italian restaurants worldwide to La Moda, the hotel said.

The chef who did his primary and secondary education in Cologne, holds a diploma in Commis Cook and Commis de Suite from the Iseo Hospitality College in Italy.

He specialises in all aspects of Italian and Mediterranean cooking and aims to discover new cooking methods and engage in research for innovative recipes and ingredients.

Rivetti has worked at the Michelin guide Paolo Petrini restaurant in Paris, the Bice restaurant in Korea, Cine Citta, which was rated as the best restaurant in 2000 in Hong Kong and Shrooms in Singapore, a highly rated fusion restaurant.

Although his main hobby is cooking, Rivetti is keen on tennis, swimming, diving, soccer, theatre, painting and music.