Hong Kong based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has appointed Lore Koenig as director of sales for the new Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai which is due to open in March next year.

Koenig will take up her new role this month, initially in pre-opening offices before transferring to the property on Shaikh Zayed Road.

She joined Shangri-La in 1994 as director of sales - Germany, Austria and Switzerland, based in the regional sales office in London.

In this position she raised Shangri-La's profile across the German-speaking markets and generated increased business from the region into the group's 38 properties in Asia.

In her new role, Koenig will be responsible for inbound sales to the hotel from the immediate locality, Europe and worldwide. She will be assisted by a nine-strong team.

"I am delighted to have been offered such an exciting opportunity and at such a critical, formative stage in this new hotel's development," said Koenig.

"The Shangri-La Hotel Dubai will be our first hotel outside Asia and I am looking forward to establishing the Shangri-La name and legendary Asian hospitality in a totally new market.

"While my European sales experience will be of great benefit in a region where 30 per cent of business is from Europe, I am also excited at the prospect of establishing our presence in Dubai in the minds of our Asian customer base and welcoming them to the Gulf."

Shangri-La has signed a management agreement with UAE-based Al Jaber Group to operate the deluxe five-star Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai. This will be Shangri-La's first hotel in the Gulf, a region the group has targeted for expansion, and it will also be the Al Jaber Group's first deluxe hotel project.

The 43-storey hotel, which forms part of a twin tower multi-purpose complex, is currently under development and will feature 301 guestrooms and suites, along with 126 service apartments.

The complex is located near Dubai's World Trade Centre and the commercial districts.