Erbil Rotana welcomes new GMGhassan Dalal has been appointed general manager of Erbil Rotana, voted as Iraq’s Leading Hotel for the last four years in a row. A Lebanese veteran with over 20 years of experience in Canada, Egypt, Lebanon, Nigeria and Sudan, Ghassan will bring a unique depth of experience to his new position.
Egami joins Baie Lazare as GMAfter leading Kempinski Hotel Aqaba Red Sea for two years, Masami Egami joins as the general manager of Kempinski Seychelles Resort – Baie Lazare, located on the south end of Mahé. Egami has had over 24 years of international experience in the hospitality industry from various chains such as Hilton, InterContinental and Le Meridien.
El Sherif heads business developmentConrad Cairo has announced the appointment of Tarek El Sherif as the new director of business development. El Sherif has more than 25 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. Set on the magnificent River Nile, the Conrad Cairo hotel is a stunning landmark in the heart of bustling downtown.
Eggerstedt joins IHG Doha as GMInterContinental Doha The City has named Pascal Eggerstedt general manager of its 525-room luxury hotel and residences located in West Bay. Eggerstedt has been a part of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) since 1997 and brings to InterContinental Doha The City more than 22 years of experience in the hotel industry.
New faces at Ayla in Al AinAyla Hotels group has appointed Tariq Aboudi to the position of group director of human resources and training for Ayla Hotels, Khaled Raslan (pictured here) as assistant director of sales and Hassan Bader as sales manager. Noha Fathy has also joined recently as the Al Ain-based hospitality group’s new marketing manager.
New head of sales joins HMH Chris Bradley, a Canadian national with 16 years’ experience across the hospitality and consultancy sectors, has joined HMH from Hertz. He started his hospitality career in Canada before moving to the UAE in 2007 with IHG’s global sales team. He is now responsible for the bottom line of HMH’s 20 properties.
New BDM joins Park RegisBetsy Cordova Lopez joins as business development manager at the Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel in Dubai, moving from the Dubai Courtyard by Marriott where she was employed in the sales department. Hailing from Peru and multi-lingual, Lopez has worked in Canada, England, Spain and Peru before moving to the UAE last year.
Baum appointed at Emirates Palace As Emirates Palace’s new hotel manager Leon Baum will be overseeing the daily operations at the iconic Abu Dhabi property, and will play an active role in implementing key strategies and new initiatives. Baum brings 17 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry to his new role, joining from Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul.
Ashor joins as Centro GM Rotana has appointed Ayman Ashor as general manager of Centro Capital Centre, the third property in Abu Dhabi under the Centro Hotels by Rotana brand. A Dutch national, Ashor has worked for 20 years in several countries – Egypt, Netherlands and Germany – before his finally settling in the UAE six years ago.
Mc Donald joins as DOSMPaul Mc Donald has joined Grand Hyatt Muscat as director of sales and marketing. He has had over 11 years of experience with Hyatt, having started his career at Grand Hyatt Dubai in 2003. He was later promoted to associate director of sales in 2008 and revenue manager for Park Hyatt Dubai in 2009.
New director of food and beverageEmad Yousef brings 15 years of hospitality experience to his new role of food and beverage director at Park Hyatt Jeddah. Yousef has served leading hotel chains in the Middle East including Grand Hyatt Amman, Grand Hyatt Dubai, Hyatt Regency Taba Heights in Egypt and Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa in Kuwait.
New appointments in the MaldivesCoco Collection has welcomed Georgios Papazoglou and Elza Artiaga as new general managers for Coco Bodu Hithi and Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu respectively, as well as Shafa Shabeer (pictured here) as director of marketing at the helm of the marketing and PR team in the corporate head office in the Maldives.
Etihad makes new appointmentsEtihad Airways has appointed Gianni Tronza (pictured here) as its new general manager for Switzerland. Tronza will lead the airline’s expanded commercial operations in Switzerland following the introduction of daily flights to Zurich in June 2014. Matthew Jennings has also joined Etihad as senior manager of public affairs, based in Washington, D.C.
Saade joins Courtyard as GMAfter successfully opening Renaissance Tlemcen, Marriott’s first property in Algeria, Andre Saade has been appointed general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott Dubai Green Community, a position which also oversees the Marriott Executive Apartments Dubai Green Community. He has over 18 years of experience.
Corinthia appoints wellbeing expert Corinthia Hotel London has appointed wellbeing expert Renée Blanchardt ND, BSc, Adv. Dip HSc, DRMTH as the new wellness manager and naturopath at ESPA Life. She has 20 years’ experience in Europe, Asia and Australia, and has graduated with a double science degree from the Australian College of Natural Medicine.
Luedeke joins Zabeel SarayYvonne Luedeke has joined Jumeirah Zabeel Saray as director of marketing and communications. A German national, Luedeke has over 19 years of hospitality experience from Germany, France, New York and the UAE. She will work with director of sales and marketing Robert El Khoury to lead the resort’s marketing and communications team.
Cathay gets new country managerCathay Pacific Airways has appointed Ashish Kapur as country manager UAE and Oman. Kapur replaces Brian Yuen, who has been appointed as general manager – in-flight services, Dragonair in Hong Kong. Kapur has accumulated 17 years of experience in passenger and cargo operations in the aviation industry, joining Cathay Pacific at New Delhi in 2001.
Rezidor grows ME team The Rezidor Hotel Group has made three new appointments in the Middle East. Wiebke Siemering has been appointed as the area e-commerce partner manager. Marie-Laure Blaise joins as the B2B and B2C marketing manager for the Middle-East, sub-Saharan Africa and Turkey, and Ayse Ocal Abbas has been appointed area e-commerce marketing manager.
Habtoor makes F&B appointmentHabtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa has acquired the services of Neels Bornman, who will operate as the assistant food and beverage manager. Bornman has more than seven years’ experience in the hospitality industry and has worked with several leading brands in a number of exotic locations across the world.
Lanson Place appoints Benson Soo Lanson Place Hospitality Management Limited has appointed Benson Soo as head of guest experience. Soo will formulate and analyse guest service improvement strategies and provide direction and initiatives to all Lanson Place guest service operations. Benson has more than 20 years of experience in guest service positions.
