Rowntree moves on up
Tom Rowntree has been named the InterContinental Hotels Group’s new regional vice president of sales and marketing MENA region.
He joined the group in 1998 and held senior positions in sales at the InterContinental Muscat, the InterContinental Abu Dhabi and the at a corporate level for the group in the UAE and Qatar.
Shimabuku joins Four Seasons Cairo
Randy Shimabuku has been appointed as general manager at the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at The First Residence.
Shimabuku started with Four Seasons Hotel Toronto in 1988. He then moved to other properties in the United States and Canada, and in Asia, Japan and Thailand, ending with The Regent Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
Timbrell goes to InterCon Jordan
Mark Timbrell has recently taken over as a resident manager at InterContinental Jordan.
Timbrell has previously worked in the UK for the Dorchester and Grosvenor House on Park Lane, and Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair. He has 11 years of experience in the sales & marketing field and has extensive regional experience, having worked in Jordan and Bahrain.
El Behi joins Coral
Wael El Behi was recently appointed head of sales and marketing for Coral Deira, Dubai and Coral Boutique Hotel Apartments.
He brings with him over 12 years of experience and expertise in hospitality. Prior to his new role, Wael worked for the weekend getaway that is the Mafraq Hotel in Abu Dhabi, as senior sales & marketing manager.
Nambiar flies Gulf Air to India
Gulf Air has named Rajeev Nambiar its new general manager for India operations, based at Mumbai. He moves from Dubai, where he was general manager for Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Nambiar joined Gulf Air’s Doha office in 1999, from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and was also general manager at Gulf Air headquarters in Bahrain.
Tapken takes charge of four
Thomas Tapken has taken the role of general manager & regional manager for four new properties, The Mövenpick Resort & Spa Palm Jumeirah, Mövenpick Resort Oceana, The Palm Jumeirah, Ibn Battuta Hotel Dubai operated by Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts and the Mövenpick Hotel Deira. He was general manager of Mövenpick Hotel Bur Dubai.
Lashin appointed at Al Jawhara
Hani Lashin has been appointed general manager of the Al Jawhara Gardens Hotel and Al Jawhara Apartments. He brings in a wealth of knowledge from the Hilton, JW Marriot and City Seasons Apartments. This background will help him tackle the brand’s challenging growth plans in the hospitality industry, with more hotels being planned.
Martin promoted at Dusit
Dusit Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of a new group director of revenue management for the hotel group, Stephen Martin. Prior to this posting, Martin was revenue manager at Dusit Dubai, UAE. His experience in this field has been gained over the past five years working in Dubai, with Le Meridien Hotels.
New dynamic for Hyatt Regency
The Hyatt Regency Dubai, has welcomed a dynamic sales team. Karl Marshall (left), formerly of the Grand Hyatt, Melbourne, leads the team as director of marketing. Roger Saad will make a major contribution to the further growth of business within the GCC leisure and corporate markets. Peri Hellyer takes over as the hotel’s marketing communications manager.
Sharma heads for the board
Kavita Sharma Al Jassim has been elected as a board member of Worldwide Airlines Customer Relations Association (WACRA). The first Arab woman to be so named, she joins executives from KLM, SAS, Atlantic Southeast, Air France, Continental, Delta and Olympic. She Sharma was previously Gulf Air manager customer care and service monitoring previously.
Anib appointed GM, Novotel
The Novotel Al Dana Resort has recently appointed Khalid Anib as general manager. Anib was formerly general manager at one of the Accor properties in KSA. He has outlined the strong growth potential of the hotel and has praised Bahrain’s unique tourism plans. He hopes to develop more job opportunities for Bahrainis with the Accor group.
Derbas moves to Riyadh
The Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh has announced the appointment of Tareq Derbas as hotel manager.
Derbas moves to Riyadh from the Four Seasons Hotel Amman where he held a similar position. He joined the group in 2002 after extensive experience as deputy general manager of the Sheraton Hotel Muscat and the new Jeddah Hilton.
InterCon Promotes Mattar to DOSM
Haitham Mattar has been named the InterContinental Hotels Group’s new director of sales and marketing in the Middle East & Africa. He was previously director of sales and marketing at the InterContinental Dubai, where he and his team were awarded Best Performance for Middle East & Africa by the group for the year 2004.
New appointments at Bavaria
Bavaria Hotels International has named Khaled Abed (left) as purchasing manager for Bavaria Executive Suites Dubai. He has worked with Sheraton, Steigenberger and Kempinski. Stefanie Morgner joins as sales executive for Bavaria Executive Suites Dubai and is based at the hotel in Media City. Jessica Prelle has been named corporate office administrator.
Jeffrey heads up WTM
Fiona Jeffery has been promoted to managing director of World Travel Market. As part of her new role, Jeffery is looking to expand the World Travel Market brand, and wants to harness the business effectiveness of the WTM for the direct benefit of customers
beyond the four days of the event all through the year. She was previously group exhibition director for WTM.
Werdeling goes to InterCon Abu Dhabi
Heiner Werdeling has been appointed general manager at the InterContinental Abu Dhabi after two years in Mumbai at InterContinental The Grand. Werdeling was heavily involved in development for the ITT Sheraton Group. He was resort manager at Australia’s luxurious Hayman Island and has been with the Savoy, London.
Kazzaz promoted at the Radisson
The Radisson SAS Hotel Muscat has announced the promotion of Khamis Kazzaz to the position of executive assistant manager from director of sales and marketing. His broad experience in the hotel industry includes working with Radisson SAS Hotels and Resorts since 2001, where he worked as Director of Sales GCC at the regional head office in Dubai.
Rosso moves to Crowne Plaza Muscat
Massimo Rosso has been appointed director of sales and marketing at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Muscat. He started his career in London moving to the Loews Monte Carlo Hotel and Forte Hotel’s Beach Plaza Monte Carlo. Prior to his assignment in Oman, Rosso was director of sales & marketing for the Grand Hotel Plaza in Rome.
Ali joins Grand Regency Doha
The Grand Regency Doha has recently announced the appointment of Ann Ali as the hotel’s public relations manager, a role requiring her to interface with media.
Ali has previously worked with the Ritz Carlton Doha and the Grand Hyatt Jordan. She was also personal assistant to the managing director at Desert Adventure Tourism in Dubai.
News from the Al Bustan Rotana
The Al Bustan Rotana Hotel has named Prem Calais its new assistant F&B manager. Geoff Ward (left), formerly of the Royal Navy and the Beach Rotana, has joined as chief engineer. Khalid Motik has been named new corporate sales director, while Matthias Classes has joined as travel & trade sales director. Roger Sonsalla has joined the hotel as its new executive sous chef.