Van Kan takes charge at InterCon Doha
DOHA: Martin van Kan has recently been appointed general manager (GM) of Inter-Continental Doha.
This isn’t Martin’s first experience of the Gulf – his previous postings include both Abu Dhabi and Oman – but he’s pleased to be back. Most recently resident manager at the Phoenicia InterContinental in Beirut, van Kan looks forward to the challenges ahead. He holds a diploma from the Swiss Hotel Association in Switzerland and has spent the better part of his 20-year career working with such international chains as Hyatt International, Le Meridian and InterContinental around the world.
Gohlan to manage Four Points
DUBAI: Sanjeev Gohlan, a graduate of the Hotel & Restaurant Management University of Belgrade, has taken over as GM of Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai. He joins the hotel after working for Sheratons for over 19 years. His last assignment before taking over his present position was as GM of Sheraton Kampala Hotel in Uganda.
King to lord over at Dusit
DUBAI: Doug King has been appointed general manager of Dusit Dubai. Prior to this, he held the same position at Hotel Istana in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. King held managerial assignments with the world’s top hotel chains such as The Wyndham Hotel in the US and Hilton International in the Far East. King, or Doug to the Dusit team, has had 14 years experience managing flagship resorts and city properties in the Asia Pacific region.
Deere joins Hilton Dubai
DUBAI: As the latest in a series of management moves within the Hilton group, Mark Deere takes over as GM at the Hilton Dubai Creek. He joins the Dubai team from the London Hilton on Park Lane, where he was director of operations, the most recent of his appointments in a career with Hilton that spans one-and-a-half decades. Deere brings with him a wealth of international knowledge and experience to Dubai.
Van Opstal at the helm in Sheraton Dubai Creek
DUBAI: The Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers has appointed Thomas van Opstal as the new GM of the five-star property. German-born van Opstal arrives in Dubai after a two-year assignment in the Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers and with over 24 years of experience in the service industry in ten properties, including eight Sheraton hotels. He is a graduate from the Bergius Hotel School in Frankfurt, Germany.
Schuler takes over at Radisson SAS Beirut
BEIRUT: The Radisson SAS Martinez Hotel, Beirut has appointed Peter Schuler as its new GM. Schuler brings a wealth of experience after working with five-star hotels in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Having joined the Rezidor SAS Group in 1996 at the Radisson SAS Palais Hotel Vienna, Schuler moved to China and then to Dubai before being appointed as director of F&B at the Hotel Radisson Slavjanskya in Moscow. He spent three years in Russia, he moved back to the Middle East with the Radisson SAS Hotel in Kuwait. Schuler is a graduate of the Schloss Hofen Tourism School in Austria.
InterCon welcomes Vizcaya
DUBAI: Phillippe de Vizcaya has been named the new area GM for InterContinental Hotels Group properties in the Red Sea region. Vizcaya, who took on the role of GM at the InterContinental Resort & Casino Hurghada in 2002, will now also oversee operations at both the InterContinental Abu Soma Resort Red Sea and the Holiday Inn Resort Safaga. Having begun his career with InterContinental Hotels Group 1979, Vizcaya has worked at some of the finest hotels in the world such as InterContinental hotels in Paris, London and Luxembourg as well as La Mamounia in Morocco.
Key position for Awad at InterCon Al Ain
AL AIN: Rula Awad has been appointed director of sales and marketing for the Inter-Continental Resort Al Ain. Joining from the Holiday Inn Amman, where she held the same position, Awad brings nine years of area experience to her new role.
Chef Vincenzo joins Marriott
DUBAI: The newest addition to JW Marriott’s Italian kitchen, Cucina, is Italian born and bred Chef Vincenzo. He adds culinary excellence to the authentic trattoria-style restaurant and promises to serve up the best of Italy in this snug homely surrounding. Chef Vincenzo brings with him vast skills in Mediterranean cooking, following a career that started at the tender age of 15 in Italy. He advanced his passion by working in reputable restaurants around Europe and America before joining the team at the JW Marriott Dubai.
Sheraton Dubai Creek welcomes Cambon
DUBAI: The Sheraton Dubai Creek has appointed French Stephane Chambon as executive chef. One of the youngest executive chefs in Dubai. Cambon is a graduate from the Lycee Hotelier Bahuet with a major in F&B and Cooking.
Daoud promoted at Grand Hyatt Dubai
DUBAI: Grand Hyatt Dubai’s GM Peter Fulton has promoted Tareq Daoud to the position of director of sales. Daoud, a Jordanian national, held the position of associate director of sales six months prior to the hotel’s opening. With a wealth of experience in hotel sales for over 12 years, he has also previously worked for the Marriot and Ritz-Carlton group.
Richter is new EAM at Mِvenpick
DUBAI: Mِvenpick Hotel Bur Dubai has named Denis Richter its new EAM. He most recently served in the same position for the Amari Watergate Hotel in Bangkok. Richter brings with him 12 years of hospitality passion and experience. A graduate from Hotel Management School in Austria, his career travels saw ambitious destinations in the US and Europe, where he joined Hilton International, after which finally the challenges of entrepreneurship were tested.
Anns takes over key position at ATC
DUBAI: The Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) has appointed Chris Anns as the new business development manager for the Middle East. In this role, Anns will be responsible for servicing the travel trade in GCC countries. ATC executive general manager, Western Hemisphere, Andrew McEvoy, said the addition of Anns would help to consolidate the ATC's work in the region.
Aoun joins Grand Continental Flamingo Hotel
ABU DHABI: The Flamingo Hotel Management Company has appointed Pierre Aoun as operations manager for Grand Continental Flamingo Hotel in Abu Dhabi. Aoun moves to Abu Dhabi from Meridien’s Dar Al Sandos Hotel Apartments, bringing with him a wealth of experience having worked with leading global hotel chains both in the Middle East and Europe.
A German national, he plans to market this property by positioning it as one of the top affordable hotels in the region.
Mansour joins Coral International
SHARJAH: Houssam H. Mansour has joined the Coral International Hotels, Resorts & Spas as area F&B manager. He comes from Renaissance Tunis Hotel in Tunisia where he worked as the F&B manager for two years. Houssam who, to his credit, has over a decade’s experience and has been associated with some of the top names in hospitality including Le Royal Meridien Bahrain, the Royal Plaza, Beirut, and Forte Grand Abu Dhabi.
Schlacter is Corinthia’s director of MICE sales
MALTA: Corinthia Hotels International has appointed German national Stefan W Schlachter as director of sales for MICE events for Southern Germany, Austria and the German part of Switzerland. With 24 years experience in the travel trade, Schlachter brings with him a vast knowledge of the German MICE market.
For the last four years he held the position of regional sales manager for South Western Germany and Switzerland with Kempinski Hotels and Resortss. Stefan was also the only regional sales manager to reach all the company’s set goals for each market segment for three consecutive years. Previous to that, Schlachter held top management positions with Hertz, Turkish Airlines and a number of leading German travel agencies.