Aibara joins Elite
ELITE Hospitality has promoted Sarosh Aibara as director of operations for the group. Sarosh, who has 26 years of hospitality experience, came to Elite Hospitality in Bahrain in 2004. He was with The Oberoi Group of Hotels, and prior to that headed the President Park Group of hotels.
Emaar Hospitality appoints Heuze
Emaar Hospitality Group appointed Patrick Heuze as senior corporate director of development and operations. Heuze previously worked with hotels in the Maldives, Thailand, Cameroon, Hong Kong and Japan. He holds a degree from the Bordeaux Hotel School.
flydubai appoints COO
flydubai announced Kenneth Gile as its new chief operating officer. Captain Gile joins from Skybus Airlines, an American low cost carrier, where he was president and COO for four years. Before that Captain Gile was with Southwest Airlines for 25 years.
New appointments at Hilton hotels
Hilton Hotels Corporation has announced two new senior appointments for its Abu Dhabi properties. Jan Moenkedieck (left) is the new general manager of the Hilton Abu Dhabi, while Sherif Nassar takes over as cluster general manager for Hilton Baynunah and Hilton Corniche Hotel Apartments.
Schippel becomes VP flight operations
Etihad Airways has appointed Captain Christoph Schippel as vice president flight operations. Previously he was the airline’s chief pilot Airbus A340 and fleet chief Airbus, and prior to that he worked at LTU International Airways in Germany as captain on the A330 and other aircraft.
Mamlouk joins Layia Hospitality
Omar Mamlouk joins Layia Hospitality as area director of sales and marketing. Prior to his appointment Mamlouk was director of sales and marketing for Millennium Hotels & Resorts in Doha, Qatar. He also worked in Riyadh and Beirut in sales and marketing positions for Movenpick.
Mani at InterCon Regency Bahrain
The InterContinental Hotel Group has appointed Roberto Mani as director of sales and marketing for Inter-Continental Regency Bahrain. Mani brings with him four years of experience with the chain having worked with it in Dubai and Cairo.
Sheaffer is new GM for Palm hotel
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has appointed Darrell Sheaffer as general manager, Fairmont Palm Hotel & Resort. Sheaffer will oversee the scheduled 2009 opening of the hotel on the main trunk of the Palm Jumeirah. He has also been with Ritz-Carlton and Mandarin Oriental before joining Fairmont.
New faces at Sheraton Dammam
Maria Antonela Axinte (left) is now spa manager at Sheraton Dammam Hotel and Towers. She brings with her over eight years of experience in the wellness industry. The hotel also appointed Kwashe Gbedemah as food and beverage director. He previously worked with the Sheraton Group.
McDougal joins Emirates Holidays
Emirates Holidays has appointed Ian McDougal as regional manager of commercial operations for the UAE. He joins having worked in the destination marketing field for over 25 years. He has held management positions in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore and was recently with Tourism Victoria.
New GM at Al Bustan Centre
Al Bustan Centre & Residence has appointed Abdul Kader Hankir as general manager. He will be responsible for the operations of Al Bustan Shopping Mall. Prior to this he was with Amjad Holdings in Riyadh and has held senior managerial positions in various five star hotels in the Middle East.
Blair moves to Red Sea hotel
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has appointed Alexander Blair as hotel manager for the Rosewood Corniche in Jeddah on the Red Sea. Blair joins from sister hotel Al Faisaliah in Riyadh where he was director of guest services. Prior to joining Rosewood, Blair worked in China.
Dusit Thani recruits Wittich
Dusit Thani Dubai recently appointed Udo Wittich as F&B manager. Wittich will oversee the operations of six dining venues, featuring a range of gastronomic options. He brings with him much experience obtained from working with prestigious hotel brands elsewhere.
Gordon moves to a vice president role
Tamani Hotels and Resorts announced the appointment of Roddy Gordon as vice president, sales and marketing. He was the pre-opening director of marketing for the Grand Hyatt Hotel, before moving to Seoul as area director of marketing for Hyatt Korea and Micronesia.
Schmid to manage Al Faisaliah
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts appointed Jochen Schmid as manager of Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh. He joins with more than 20 years of international hotel experience. Most recently he managed Kempinski Hotels in Ajman, UAE and has also worked in Paris, New York, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.
Bos to oversee revenue
InterContinental Hotels Group has appointed Hannes Bos as director of revenue management in the Middle East and Africa. He will overlook pricing structures and revenue management strategies across all five of IHG’s hotel brands in the region. He was in Singapore with a global hotel chain.
Oman Air appoints Brown
Barry Brown is the new vice president, commercial, for Oman Air. Brown brings over 30 years of professional experience to the role. He was with SriLankan Airlines as chief commercial officer. He has also held senior management roles with Qantas, American Airlines and Air France.
Pre-opening committee appointed
Gold Swiss-Belhotel Dubai has appointed its Executive Committee for the hotel. The team is led by general manager, Nils Rothbarth (left). Deepak Dahiya joins as director of sales & marketing and Prem Negi is F&B manager/ executive chef. Yohan De Zilva is rooms division manager.
New team at Diplomat Radisson SAS
The Diplomat Radisson SAS Hotel, Residence & Spa appointed Georges Abi Aad (left) as director of sales and marketing. Aad has worked with the Al Khaleej Group of Hotels, Accor and Crowne Plaza. Ayla Marisse Ginete is now public relations manager and Igor Ruge is F&B director.
Melhem moves to the Media
Rabih Melhem has been appointed executive assistant manager at Media Rotana Dubai, due to open in November 2008. Rabih brings with him 16 years of international experience. He started his career with Hyatt hotels and resorts and was previously with Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi among others.