First GM for Salalah Rotana

Rotana has appointed Claudio Melli as the first general manager of the newly launched five-star Salalah Rotana Resort in the capital of the southern Omani province of Dhofar. Melli brings with him more than 20 years of experience in the global hospitality industry, having worked with IHG, Starwood, Raffles, Hilton and others.

Ayla Hotel appoints F&B manager

Al Ain-based Ayla Hotel has welcomed Samer Hanna as food and beverage manager. Hanna has more than two decades of experience in the GCC. He will be in charge of Ayla’s currently operating food outlets and work to establish the culinary offerings of the new Ayla Bawadi Hotel.

VP operations for Golden Tulip

Paul Z. Diab has been promoted to the vice-president of operations at Golden Tulip Mena. Working closely with president Amine E. Moukarzel to expand the brand by opening one hotel every month, Diab is responsible for brand upkeep from construction through to the grand opening and full operation. 

New GM for Millennium Amman

Nabil Khuzouz has been appointed general manager of the Millennium Hotel Amman in Jordan. Khuzouz has 31 years of experience in key management positions in the Middle East. In his new capacity, he will lead the newly-opened hotel to position itself as one of Jordan’s leading business and leisure properties.

Gulf Hotel appoints Kassir

The Gulf Hotel Bahrain has appointed Lebanese national Zaher Kassir as the director of business development and strategy. Kassir has 15 years of professional experience; he has held several management positions in five-star hotels in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, Libya and Tunisia.

New leadership for Travelport

Travelport has named seasoned travel industry leader Mark Meehan as its new managing director for the Asia Pacific. Currently managing director for Travelport Africa, Meehan brings a wealth of customer-focused experience to the role, having held a number of high profile positions at Travelport over his 15 year tenure with the business.

Jovalekic joins Park Regis 

Ivan Jovalekic has joined the Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel Dubai as senior business development manager, moving from Abu Dhabi where he spent two years in a similar position at the Insights Management Consultancy, representing international hotels and tourist boards in the region. 

New manager at Radisson Sharjah

Ahmed Freiwan has been appointed as the new rooms division manager of Radisson Blu Resort Sharjah. Freiwan has worked in various positions for different properties within the Rezidor Hotel Group in Jordan, Muscat, Iran, Dubai, Lebanon and held the same position at Radisson Blu Resort Sharjah in 2012.

TIME expands management team

UAE-headquartered hospitality company, TIME Hotels Management has welcomed two new senior corporate executives to their team. Gaetan Lavoie (pictured here) joins as corporate director of technical services and Bernard Fantoli, the new corporate director for food and beverages.

Doha Marriott promotes Ganguly

Doha Marriott has promoted its high achieving colleague Rajarshi Ganguly to assistant director of food and beverage. Ganguly began his culinary career as a determined young chef in Manchester, UK. He now aims to enhance the culinary operations of the Doha hotel and ensure guests leave happy.