Georges Abi Aad has appointed director of sales and marketing of Lebanon's first Crowne Plaza Hotel, due to open on Hamra Street early next year.

He previously held the same position at Accor, Lebanon, for over a year. The Crowne Plaza Beirut is the sixth hotel in Lebanon to be managed by Six Continents Hotels.

After earning a degree in Computer Science and Business Management from Saint Joseph University, he left Lebanon for the Gulf, where he spent five years Ñ first as tour manager with Travel and Transport Services in Saudi Arabia, then as sales manager with Gulliver's Travel Agency in Dubai.

Aad expects his experience in the Gulf to serve him well now that regional travel trends increasingly point to Lebanon as a destination for Arab travellers.

"Having designed products for this particular market, I am familiar with its needs," he said.